NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HAWKS VS. BUCKS

July 1, 2021

Khris Middleton

Milwaukee Bucks

Game 5: Postgame

Milwaukee Bucks 123, Atlanta Hawks 112

Q. Bobby said that he thinks maybe the city maybe embraces him because he's a blue color player and this is a blue collar city. What's your vantage point of his perception?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: I agree. He's a hard worker, a guy that puts it all out there on the floor. He's in the gym every day, on a day off. He's going to keep working no matter what.

Q. You heard him say "the 12 o'clock rule." Do you subscribe to that?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: Mine's a little bit longer. I like to watch a lot of film. After I watch that film of this game, dissect it, think about it -- by the time I get up in the morning, I'll be on to the next.

Q. You'll go home tonight and watch the game?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: Yeah.

Q. A little wine or a beer or anything?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: Sometimes. It just depends on how I feel and how my body feels. Tonight, just probably will be a whole bunch of water and Pedialyte.

Q. You played without Giannis a bunch in the regular season and it is what it is, but Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, how much more did you put on yourself to make sure you guys won tonight?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: I didn't. I know a lot of people expect me to do that. For me, it's just figuring out the game, playing within the game, finding ways to get myself involved but also others, and knowing the focal point is going to be on me a lot more, and Jrue also. Jrue did a great job of setting the tone first. He got himself going and he got other guys involved -- Brook, Bobby.

But then myself, I just tried to pick my spots, find where I could attack and be aggressive and take advantage.

Q. In the fourth quarter, I think the ball was in your hands the first five or six possessions. What were you seeing there?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: With Giannis out, Donte out, we don't have as many ball handlers. I think it was myself and Bryn as guards out there, and I think we'd rather have Bryn off the ball to be ready to shoot more. Put the ball in my hands and read pick-and-roll. And after that, just played the game. Read the defense. Read where my shots are coming from and read where I get the ball to Brook or other guys. It's just playing within a flow and reading a defense out of a pick-and-roll.

Q. What were you seeing specifically with Brook?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: Brook had such a dominant game, rolling and getting by the basket. He got so many guys coming to him. After that, it was just finding where the help was coming from. Got Tuck a couple of threes in the corner. Just missed them; great shots. Bryn hit one.

But the focal point was Brook. Finding him at the rim and playing through that and seeing where the help was coming from and where I could throw it to him.

Q. It isn't unusual for Jrue to take over a game, but what did you think of him at the start of the game saying, hey, we're putting a stamp on this?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: I love it. We need aggressive Jrue at all times. He's a hell of a player on both sides of the ball. He got it going early, which gave us a lot of confidence.

Q. How does your offense change when Jrue is initiating it?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: We're just playing through him. Let him make the decisions and he drives the shots. Like I said, he's our point guard. When he plays aggressive, it's great for us because it gives us confidence and gets everybody going.

Q. With Brook, was that kind of the game plan, knowing what he can do in the paint, especially when he doesn't have to get out of Giannis' way inside and he's just sort of the big? Was that sort of the game plan, or was it just he's moving and feeling good?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: I think he just saw it. I think he just saw where the opening was for him to be aggressive and be a force. Tonight that was slashing a lot and that was rolling a lot. He could play both inside and out, but he does a great job reading the game and figuring out where he can be with his spots and be aggressive and be a force.

Q. I know other night Giannis spoke pretty glowingly about you after your big performance. You know him as well as anybody inside that locker room and how tough it is for him to watch a game from the sidelines. What has impressed you most about how he's handled the last 48 hours and just the way that he was so animated on the bench throughout this entire game and just his presence, what it means to this team?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: His presence means a lot. Two-time MVP, future Hall of Famer. So when he speaks, we listen. When he's around, we love it. He has so much knowledge. He's been through a lot. It's hard for him to sit out of one of the biggest playoff series of his career.

But you know, you've just got to find a way to deal with it. We all do. I know he's itching to get back out there. I know he was trying to play the other night. I know he was trying to play tonight. But right now he's got to try to take care of himself the best way he can so that he can get back out there.

Q. A few nights ago, Bobby had mentioned players, their size can be measured and all these different tangible things, but you can't measure their heart, and he was talking about you. How much of that can be applied to him as far as the measurables; you can't really determine his full value until you see him playing with the energy and some of the other things he's picked up on?

KHRIS MIDDLETON: You can't. I mean, he's a guy that wears his heart on his sleeve. You can see it every night.

It's crazy, he didn't play much in the Brooklyn series. He was disappointed, but he didn't sulk, complain about it or whatnot. He stayed locked in and stayed ready. He's had a huge impact in this series so far. That just tells you the type of character guy he is and what he's all about. He's all about winning and working and staying ready for whenever his time, his moment comes.