I keep hearing people say Kevin Martin needs to step up, needs to be more clutch, needs to take the game by its haunches and.... You know.

To me, it looks silly, all this "Kevin's soft" and "Kevin's not clutch" and "Kevin's not the second coming of Christ." Two of those three statements are inaccurate; the third is questionable. Thus, the first ever edition of Mythbusters: Sactown.

Assertion #1: Kevin Martin disappears in crunch time.

Test: Does Kevin Martin take fewer shots than normal in crunch time (defined as 4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team leading by more than 5 points)?

Answer: No. According to 82games, Martin takes 19.8 FGAs and 18 FTAs per 48 minutes of crunch time -- or about 0.57 shots per minute. In all Martin's playing time, he takes an average of 15.2 FGAs and 8.4 FTAs per 48 minutes -- or about 0.39 shots per minute. Clearly, he is more aggressive in crunch time.

Assertion #2: Kevin Martin chokes in crunch time.

Test: Does Kevin Martin shoot worse in crunch time than overall?

Answer: No. Kevin's crunch time eFG% is .534. His overall eFG% is .523. He shoots better in crunch time than usual. In fact, the .534 crunch time eFG% is higher than those of: Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Roy and Dwyane Wade ... and it is .005 lower than LeBron James. Kobe, Melo, Roy, Wade and LBJ are all considered clutch. Martin's clutch shooting exceeds those of the first four and is half-a-shot lower than the other. So how is Martin not clutch?

Visual evidence Kevin Martin is not "soft" nor a "choker" who "disappears."

Does anyone need some more evidence, or can we retire this myth?