Am I surprised? No.
This was uncomfortable to watch if you’re a real Thunder fan. It hurts because it confirms what at least I already knew in regards to Russell Westbrook as a point guard trying to take his game to the team championship level.
I like Russell Westbrook. Like I’ve written on here before he’s the exact same age as my son. There are absolutely things about Russell Westbrook I adore and it hurts me as a fan of the game, let alone the Thunder, to observe him not being able to cross this last hurdle.
I just want to take some of Maurice Cheeks’s fairy dust DNA and sprinkle it over Russell. I do.
These final four minutes in this 101-95 loss to the Celtics eerily reminded me of those final four minutes in the Game 6 loss to the Warriors. To me this was that dramatic even though this was only Game 4 in a 82 game regular season. Because of what it showed. What it showed was that Russell still has trouble calibrating time, situation, and the decisions which need to be made in the final four minutes in a meaningful game against elite competition.
In that final 4:57 of play the Celtics outscored the Thunder by a 16-3 margin. Just brutal and Paul George was brutal down the stretch as well. So..in a supporting role as Kevin Durant in Game 6 versus the Warriors–Paul George played Durant to perfection on this night going basketless in the final period and doing what I asked him not to do as Billy Donovan’s make believe assistant head coach earlier in the week…namely going invisible into the night when it mattered.
The Thunder for the first time are 0-4 in franchise history. I don’t know what to write. This isn’t on the role players at all. Patterson, Abrines, Diallo, Grant, Noel, Ferguson, and Adams all played well enough for the Thunder to win the game. They did.
But here’s what sticks in my mind the most, that being, when Brad Stevens called a timeout with 34.5 seconds left and the score tied 95 all…. There was no doubt in my mind he would draw up a winning play and the Celtics would bury a three point shot with a perfectly run ATO (After Time Out) play. Just in case you wondered…ATO is something pros like and me and Antonio use in our post game breakdowns. I love Antonio.
Conversely when Billy Donovan called a timeout with 27 seconds left there was little doubt in my mind Russell would be chucking a hurried three with little thought behind the game situation. Color me fucking brilliant. Just stunning the lack of composure and Donovan’s inability as the head coach to be able to communicate with Russell what would constitute a good shot under the circumstances.
As I watched Antonio on the post game he came as close to saying what I’m writing without crossing a bridge which might have gotten him in trouble.
Don’t do it, Antonio. I’m here for you.
Do I think Billy Donovan should be coaching this team?
No, I don’t. Because here’s the thing, the most important thing the Thunder head coach needs to be able to do is take Russell Westbrook’s game to the next level and it’s not happening. Without Russell’s game going to the next level this is a first round loss team again and again. Let Traber coach the team and at least it would be entertaining instead of being painful to watch.
There’s four guys who could do this in my estimation, those four being Pop, Kerr, Carlisle, and Stevens. But they all have jobs and Alex Cora is a baseball manager of the soon to be world champion Boston Red Sox. There’s two others, Phil and Red Auerbach, but Phil is too old and Red is in heaven with a cigar in his mouth.
Eddie Sutton in his prime would have been a great coach for Russell. But he’s not available either.
I don’t know. But I know the Billy Donovan experiment isn’t working.
3rd Rule of Coaching is one no coach is immune to.
Truth hurts.
Man..