He shrunk at times but the game was also different... the numbers are all a little inflated. Mailman's playoff numbers aren't hugely different than his regular season numbers. His shooting percentage dipped... choker is too strong.
I think Karl is like most players.. Don has risen to the moment which Karl didn't really seem to do.
There is three tiers:
Guys who don’t like the playoff pressure and fold:
Paul George, Khris Middleton etc.
The middle tier is almost everyone else who deals with it and plays through it.
Last tier is guys who relish the playoffs and the pressure and elevate their game:
Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, Kevin Durant etc.
What I’m getting at is Malone is in that middle tier and Mitchell is in the upper tier.