Khris Middleton shares his thoughts on the inaugural In-Season Tournament

‘It would be pretty cool to be part of history’.

© Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks' 131-124 win over the Miami Heat put them on a path that could land them a place in history: becoming the first champion of the NBA's In-Season Tournament. With a quarterfinal match-up against the New York Knicks looming next week, veteran wingman Khris Middleton and the rest of the Bucks are gearing up to make a run at the In-Season Tournament crown.

Got some work to do

The three-time All-Star knows earning a spot in the semifinals, which will be held in Las Vegas, won't be easy. But Middleton is confident the Bucks have what it takes to knock off the Knicks to head to Sin City for the tournament's final stages.

"It would be pretty cool to be part of history," Middleton said.

"You always want to be the first to win something. So, it would definitely be cool to win the first In-Season Tournament. We still got some work to do, but we're excited about it, about the opportunity."

Aside from the bragging rights of being the first winner of this novel competition, there are also monetary rewards. Each player on the champion team will receive $500,000, which may not mean much to the superstars earning big bucks, but it's a different story for other players on the team. Many may never have seen such a big payout before, and now they have this unique opportunity to earn some extra cash.

Our quarterfinal matchup is set.#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/A3NwpZIHR9

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 29, 2023

Giannis eager to get to Las Vegas

Meanwhile, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is eager to earn a trip to Sin City, saying he hasn't been to Las Vegas for a while, giving him extra incentive to win their quarterfinal match against the Knicks.

"We've played extremely well in the In-Season Tournament. Hopefully, the next game, we can still keep this up and get another win, and if we win, we go to Vegas? Great, man. I haven't been in Vegas in a long time. So hopefully, we can go to Vegas," Giannis quipped.

The tournament's semifinals will be on December 7, while the finals will be held on December 9.

POV: You have a front-row seat to Giannis' game-sealing slam. pic.twitter.com/hD48xhtoF5

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) November 29, 2023

Giannis, Bucks prioritize winning next two regular season games before shifting focus in knockout clash vs. Knicks