Career season, new contract for Bucks' Khris Middleton fueled by '18 playoff loss to Celtics

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BOSTON -- Within minutes of free agency officially kicking off at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton (five years, $178 million) was among the first to come to terms on a new deal. 

He spoke to ESPN’s Malika Andrews about the journey that ended with him landing one of the largest contracts in NBA history, and how the Boston Celtics played a pivotal role in his growth and evolution as a player. 

“The lowest point for me as a member of the Bucks was after we lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics in the 2018 playoffs,” Middleton told ESPN. “That year, we felt like we could make a lot of noise, and we were so close. We had every opportunity to win that series and we just couldn't quite get over the hump.

Middleton added, “It was hard for me to look myself in the mirror after that series. I don't remember anything I said immediately after that game. I don't remember walking off the court, going back to the locker room or our flight home. I was just numb. But instead of letting it consume me, I used it as fuel. That loss gave me a new sense of urgency. I promised myself I would come back better -- that we would go further the next time around.

And we did. We came back and got out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2001. We beat Boston. We made it to the Eastern Conference finals. We just fell a little short.”

With league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo along with Middleton, Brook Lopez, George Hill and Eric Bledsoe, look for the Bucks to begin the season as the odds-on favorite to come out of the East. 

There will be several factors contributing to that, among them being the motivation for Middleton and the Bucks from that 2018 playoff series loss. 

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