We got 'em right where we want them- Game 3 GDT

[thedoper]

KAT's playoff stats dip in every category. He has played 30 playoff games and has shown to be statistically worse in the playoffs. The eye test tell an even worse story in my mind. There have been moments where he has completely checked out from what I can see. I dont know what there is to defend anymore. He can't get it done when it matters most and seems to disappear at the smallest amount of pressure. A few nice games here and there dont redeem him.

[Q-is-here]

KAT's playoff stats dip in every category. He has played 30 playoff games and has shown to be statistically worse in the playoffs. The eye test tell an even worse story in my mind. There have been moments where he has completely checked out from what I can see. I dont know what there is to defend anymore. He can't get it done when it matters most and seems to disappear at the smallest amount of pressure. A few nice games here and there dont redeem him.

It's true he's underachieved in the playoffs. It's also true that we don't make the WCF without him. Not sure what the answer is, but he played a massive role in getting us to this point. It's unfortunate that he's gone completely cold (as has Ant by the way) lately. Some credit also has to be given to Dallas. Those guys may have built a defense just as good or better than the Wolves.

[thedoper]

KAT's playoff stats dip in every category. He has played 30 playoff games and has shown to be statistically worse in the playoffs. The eye test tell an even worse story in my mind. There have been moments where he has completely checked out from what I can see. I dont know what there is to defend anymore. He can't get it done when it matters most and seems to disappear at the smallest amount of pressure. A few nice games here and there dont redeem him.

It's true he's underachieved in the playoffs. It's also true that we don't make the WCF without him. Not sure what the answer is, but he played a massive role in getting us to this point. It's unfortunate that he's gone completely cold (as has Ant by the way) lately. Some credit also has to be given to Dallas. Those guys may have built a defense just as good or better than the Wolves.

All of our top 7/8 have contributed to us winning, KAT included. I would argue that KAT played a role getting us here, but I wouldnt call it more massive than any of our top 7. Of those top 7/8 KAT stands out as a player that has never statistically raised his game in the playoffs. I think that is significant.

[Q-is-here]

KAT's playoff stats dip in every category. He has played 30 playoff games and has shown to be statistically worse in the playoffs. The eye test tell an even worse story in my mind. There have been moments where he has completely checked out from what I can see. I dont know what there is to defend anymore. He can't get it done when it matters most and seems to disappear at the smallest amount of pressure. A few nice games here and there dont redeem him.

It's true he's underachieved in the playoffs. It's also true that we don't make the WCF without him. Not sure what the answer is, but he played a massive role in getting us to this point. It's unfortunate that he's gone completely cold (as has Ant by the way) lately. Some credit also has to be given to Dallas. Those guys may have built a defense just as good or better than the Wolves.

All of our top 7/8 have contributed to us winning, KAT included. I would argue that KAT played a role getting us here, but I wouldnt call it more massive than any of our top 7. Of those top 7/8 KAT stands out as a player that has never statistically raised his game in the playoffs. I think that is significant.

There are really only two players in our rotation that raised their game in the playoffs this year - Ant and Jaden. Of course Ant has come crashing down to earth lately, but on the whole, he's playing at a tier above what he did in the regular season. Everyone else, including KAT, are playing at about the level they did during the regular season. The one guy I'd knock is NAW, whose horrible shooting/scoring efficiency has taken a big dive.

[Lipoli390]

I’m going to defend Kat here.

Kat has 1 turnover in 3 games this series
Kat is averaging 2 fouls a game this series
Kat is not killing the wolves with his historically dumb play, in my opinion I don’t think he’s forcing anything.
Done give me the lights are too bright for him but they weren’t too bright for him on the road in game 7 against the defending champs.
It sucks ass that he is in a shooting slump at the worst possible time. But I don’t think this 3 game sample size should be the reason the wolves make huge changes especially when is Kat is not killing them mentally like he has in the past.

And if even a couple of those shots would have gone down it's a different series, but KAT doesn't receive the benefit of the doubt from anyone on a good night, so he's gonna have to do a lot of soul searching before Game 4

and say in Game 4 he gives us 25/12 with very good shooting. The same people who don't like KAT won't be impressed; they'll be frustrated it took this long to give a meaningless performance. He can't win.

I like KAT so if he gets hot the next few games, I’ll be thrilled and praise him for pulling himself together hitting shots he should make. If he does get hot, knocking down shots a a clip around his career average then the Wolves can still win this series. Again, if his shooting had been below average but not horrible the past three games, the Wolves would be up at least 2-1 and possibly 3-0 right now. I love that KAT has largely eliminated the whining and turnover from his game this season and throughout the playoffs. I love that he’s dramatically improved his defense over the past several years. He’s an all-star caliber player in his prime. But mentally tough players don’t have the extended shooting slump he’s had these past three games. And he continues to make the game harder than it needs to be by passing up easier shots for ill-advised drives with a higher degree of difficulty. His main issue in my view has always been an inability to maintain mental focus and I believe that’s beyond his horrifically poor shooting the past few games.

I’m interested to see if he gets his mental focus back and starts knocking down shots. If he does, this team could still end up on the NBA finals even if Ant’s shooting doesn’t improve. And odds are Ant’s shooting will improve. The Wolves might get swept, but if they win game 4, I see them winning at least one more and then you never know.