“Putting Up 1500 Shots”: Karl-Anthony Towns Laughs at His Misery as Timberwolves’ Playoff Run Takes Ugly Turn

The Minnesota Timberwolves looked like they were poised to take on the challenge of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in crucial Game 3. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. After three quarters, a strong game from Anthony Edwards saw the Wolves tie the score in the fourth. However, at the end of the day, the Mavericks just became one win away from their first NBA Finals since 2011. As for Minnesota, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, especially so close to the prize. And it seems like Karl-Anthony Towns is feeling the blues already.

Talking to reporters after tonight’s performance, KAT said, “I’ve got to laugh. I’m putting up to 1500 shots a day. Shot so well all playoffs, confidence extremely high. To be having these unfortunate bounces and these looks that are just not going in, it’s tough. It’s tough, for sure. I’m good confidence wise. Just got to keep shooting.” Playing 38 minutes tonight, Towns finished the game with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

The Wolves coach, Chris Finch, though said that the final three minutes has been the most struggling for the group. “These three-minutes games that we’re playing, we’re losing.” Game 2 was a close one, too. If it wasn’t for Luka Doncic, Minnesota would have won the second round. Despite dealing with multiple injuries, the Dallas superstar, along with Kyrie Irving, has been nothing short of phenomenal.

As for tonight, the presence of the Mavericks legend and the only player to give the franchise its one title, Dirk Nowitzki, would have been an added incentive. Even so, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford stepped up big time to pull the Mavs over the edge. Going back to Karl-Anthony Towns, the 4x All-Star believes he’s been having great shooting nights.

Karl-Anthony Towns playoff stats

The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski tweeted Towns’ reply regarding his shots of recent. “Every time I’m shooting, it feels good. I’m just having these very unfortunate bounces all the time. It’s annoying. The last game, first shot of the game goes in-out, in-out, in-out. This game, my first shot is a free throw and it goes in-out.”

Towns have been splendid for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. Having played in 62 games, KAT finished with 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. But come the Western Conference Finals, it has been quite hard to watch the 28-year-old. Although Karl-Anthony’s numbers in the 14 games he’s played so far are pretty decent (18.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists), the same cannot be said for the final three.

The Kentucky product averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in the Wolves’ matchups against Dallas. In fact, Finch didn’t try to sugarcoat the situation, either. “He struggled, of course. It was hard to watch at times,” the Minnesota coach admitted. Well, he didn’t have much of a choice, particularly after tonight’s performance.

On the surface, the 7-foot center’s double-double might look okay. However, Towns’ 14 points were on 5-of-18 from the field while going 0-of-8 from the three-point line. It was particularly bad in the fourth quarter when the 2022 three-point contest champion was completely scoreless, both from the field and downtown.

Anthony Edwards, for his part, refuses to let go of hope. “We can’t be negative. Just try to get it one win at a time,” Edwards said. “I’ve been through the worst, so the sky is never falling for me.” While the positivity and enthusiasm are great, technically, the NBA has yet to see a team overcome a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. In the 154 postseason games played to this date, four teams have forced a Game 7, but ultimately they lost.

Yet, Naz Reid shares the positive outlook of Edwards. “It’s first to four. I don’t think we’re worried. If anybody can win four straight, I think it would be us.” What do you think? Can the Wolves manage to overpower the Mavs and make history? Or will they go down as just another ambitious team that withered under the pressure of the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts below!

Before you go, another matter foremost in our mind is about our beloved Inside the NBA crew. While many are sure they are going to be disbanded, Shaq’s confidante and ex-agent, Leonard Armato, thinks otherwise. To know more about his comments, watch this video.