The Milwaukee Bucks need to win just two more games to advance to their first NBA Finals in nearly 50 years, as their 113-102 win against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of the East finals on Sunday was the franchise's biggest win in five decades. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks' two-time MVP winner, indeed played like an MVP, but it was Khris Middleton who performed like an all-time great.
Middleton has received his fair share of criticism due to inconsistent play this postseason, and justifiably so. But what's also fair to say is that, when it mattered most, the 29-year-old star showed up and brought his A-game. No, he wasn't Batman or Robin. He was Superman, because the court was clearly his world.
In the fourth quarter of Game 3, Middleton alone outscored the Hawks, 20-17. His fourth quarter total was more than what he averaged for an entire contest in both Games 1 and 2 of the series. Middleton shot a mere 13-percent from three and 33-percent from the field in the first two games, but elevated to 50-percent and 58-percent, respectively, in Game 3. During the truncated regular season, Middleton averaged a respectable 20 points per game -- he nearly doubled that in Game 3, tying his postseason career-high with 38 points.
Middleton wasn't just a prolific scorer on Sunday -- he did a little bit of everything. Hawks star guard Trae Young was one of just two players in the regular season to average over nine assists per game. Middleton nearly doubled Young's assist total last night. Not a single player in this game finished with more rebounds than Middleton. That's pretty remarkable, considering this series features both Antetokounmpo and Clint Capela, who are rank first and third in rebounds this postseason, respectively. Antetokounmpo played just one fewer minute than Middleton, and finished with a plus-six -- Middleton was a plus-16.
Atlanta was scorching-hot to begin Game 3, scoring 17 points in the first four and half minutes. This wasn’t the least bit surprising, because when the Hawks are clicking on all cylinders, they're one of the most potent offenses in the NBA. Middleton’s masterpiece in the fourth quarter was so demoralizing, that the Hawks only managed to score 17 points across all 12 fourth quarter minutes. When your performance is so top-notch that it deflates another team, you know you're special. To do this in a Conference Finals game, by the way, is extremely special.
Many fans and analysts have been critical of Middleton, due to the five-year, $177.5 million contract extension he signed back in 2019. But Middleton looked like the best player in the world in the biggest game of his life. People often forget that Middleton was the 39th overall pick in the 2012 draft. Translation: all 30 teams passed on Middleton at one point. Middleton had an extraordinary performance in an extraordinary circumstance, and his skillset, basketball IQ, resilience, and will were on full display. There will be no critiquing Middleton when he steps away from the game and the Bucks retire his number. Not bad for a second-round draft pick.
CBS Sports Radio producer David Shepard is a former ESPN researcher, a former Division I college basketball practice player, and the host of The Good Shepard YouTube channel. Follow him on Twitter @TheGoodShepard_.