Russell Westbrook Lookback

It’s a big game for Russell Westbrook today in the Bubble. He hasn’t been on a team which has won a playoff series since the Thunder beat the Spurs in the 2016 Western Conference semis. Since the Thunder went up 3-1 to the Warriors in the next round Westbrook has been a collective 3-15 in post season games coming into today.

In Russell’s NBA career he has never been on a team to date which has won a playoff series which didn’t have Kevin Durant on the same team.

Chris Paul has had his playoff demons as well through the years with both the Clippers and the Rockets. There’s a lot to take in coming into Saturday’s Game 5 in the Bubble.

It’s tough to win in post season. It’s a whole different animal than the NBA regular season. You can’t piss away posessions. You have to value the ball like it’s your life.

To date…I think most who seriously follow the NBA have dropped Russell out of their top ten players list because of his post season problems the last several years.

No one thought Oklahoma City would even make the playoffs this season after they unloaded Paul George, Westbrook, and Jerami Grant. It’s a game today with a great deal of irony attached to it from various angles.

I wouldn’t be crushed if Russell and the Rockets won today. There’s a lot about Westbrook which is good. His relationship with his parents. The manner in which he has helped his little brother. His family with his wife and children. The reading bus in Oklahoma City which was made possible by his foundation. He hates Donald Trump like I do. His loyalty to Oklahoma City when the city desperately needed it to stay NBA relevant was essential.

There’s a bunch of good about Russell Westbrook. There is for certain. I have very mixed feelings about today’s game.

Can Russell Westbrook morph his game at this stage in his career in the post season when it matters?

I assume the reading bus is still going in Oklahoma City. When I retire I’d love to be one of the volunteers on the bus from time to time. If ever a place needed more reading it’s Oklahoma. Maybe we could take the bus to Karsten sometime and pull Mike Gundy away from the Breitbart newsletter and help him with his reading skills and comprehension so as he could more resemble a polished adult.

Good luck, Russell Westbrook.

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