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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: RAPTORS VS. BUCKS

May 21, 2019

Khris Middleton

Toronto, Ontario - Postgame 4

Raptors - 120, Bucks - 102

Q. On a night like tonight where most of the team can't get things going, just what were they doing that was making it so tough on you?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: Just playing team defense. Making us play a little one-on-one basketball, forcing us into tough shots. Basically, they were flying around, collapsing the paint. And scrambling. They did a great job with us defensively.

Q. You guys have controlled pace against so many teams this season. Was it strange to have that feeling like you couldn't really stop the bleeding and the Raptors were in control offensively?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: Yeah, just couldn't get stops. I feel like for the most part, from top to bottom, all their guys played well. They shared the ball. They moved the ball. Took advantage of some of our defensive coverages and just made shots.

Q. On defense, were guys closing out more or losing guys on back cuts? What was the biggest difference for you guys?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: We didn't really take away one thing from them. For the most part, they got anything they wanted, from the paint to the blocks to the midrange to the threes, and I feel like we just didn't take away one thing tonight defensively. So we've just got to be better.

Q. Is it disappointing to come out as a team and be up 2-0 but then drop both these here?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: It was disappointing, but I mean, the series is 2-2. It's not the end of the world. They protect their home court just like we did, and I know the fight is going to be a dogfight. First team to two wins. Can't feel sorry for ourselves that we lost two in a row here. We have to go protect home court and go from there.

Q. Khris, is it easy to turn the page after a loss like this? Two pretty tight games, two kind of lopsided games. Is it easy to take it as one loss and move on?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: That's the way it's got to be, one game, one loss. First game we came through the double overtime game and lost that, had to move on. We'll do that again tomorrow. New game Thursday, Friday, whenever that is. We've just got to move on from it.

Q. So often this season it's always been just trusting what you're going to do the next game, hitting more shots, closing out a little better. Is it more difficult in these moments when you lose two in the Eastern Conference Finals to have that same faith and that same trust?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: You've got to. It's the playoffs. It's the Eastern Conference Finals. Nothing is going to be easy. Rebound from this game and get ready to compete in the next game, head home.

Q. Bledsoe has been a big part of everything you guys have done this season but tonight he played for 20 minutes. Seemed like he was struggling, as he has been a lot of the series. How can you guys get him going and build up his confidence?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: He's been very good offensively up until tonight. Got to put it behind him. Only way you're going to get out of a slump and only way you're going to play better. Think the positive and do what you do your whole life. That's what I told him. Just go out there and play. Nobody's worried about makes and misses. We just want everybody with their feet out there.

Q. Just thinking about that third quarter, it looked like visible frustration from you. That's the most pressure you've faced. Just defensively, what do you guys got to do to make it right the next game?
KHRIS MIDDLETON: Got to guard better. Everybody on the team, feel like they got pretty much whatever they wanted. Everything was easy. And they made us work on either end. I think we're a better defensive team than we showed tonight, and we've got to be better.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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