04-13-2022, 11:33 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-13-2022, 11:37 AM by HoosierDaddyKid.)
(04-13-2022, 09:36 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: MEM thrives on pace and getting out in transition. That's also what the Wolves like to do too. MEM was first in the league with 17.7 fast break points a game. MIN was 4th with 15.8.
MEM weakpoint is that they can't play a slowed down halfcourt game. Neither can MIN. I expect MEM to walk away with this one as their just better in every aspect in the way MIN likes to run their offense. If they both slow it down then I expect it to be a slug fest, but I don't think either team wants to do that.
Also want to know what team limited the most fast break attempts in the league? Dallas. Want to know what MEM scored against Dallas in their 4 matchups? 97, 96, 85, and 91. MEM only scored less than 100 points in a game 10 times this season. And Dallas is the owner of 4!
100% credit to Ty Lue and how they played. I just am a firm believer that despite KAT's gaudy shooting stats (And they are fantastic) he doesn't make winning plays often enough. He might have incredible gravity because of his shooting, but he doesn't know how to effectively use it to make his team better. A skill that made Dirk legendary.
KAT is still a top 5 center today. I don't expect him to foul out again in the playoffs. But I also don't think he's going to be as effective as in the regular season.
Those are fair points. However, I'm a firm believer that what happened during the regular season, rarely translates to the playoffs. Credit Dallas's improved defense under JK to hold them under 100 pts in those matchups, but I don't think that will happen 4 times in the playoffs even with a supposedly slower pace. Memphis led the league in steals pg, rebounds pg, and blocked shots pg. They turn you over and create offense off those TO's. We're getting ahead of ourselves because they might not even meet in the later rounds of the playoffs. Anything can happen.