Do you ever miss someone? Do you ever just realize someone isn’t the same? Do you ever realize you might have taken someone for granted? I miss Russell Westbrook, the triple doubles, rocking the baby, the swagger he had. I hate Wizards Russell Westbrook. It’s depressing seeing them lose by 29 to the 15-36 Pistons, seeing him play like a shell of himself, and wear the number 4. Russell Westbrook was a killer. Has he won a championship, no, and was he sometimes a little cocky and annoying, maybe, but isn’t that what we love about him? A killer, a baller, a man who doesn't care about what you think, and the brodie, Russell Westbrook was awesome.
MVP Russ was so much fun. During 2016-17 he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists, the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson during the 1961-62 season, which led to a league MVP award. He dragged an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had (pre-Indiana) Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and Taj Gibson playing with him to a record of 47-35 and the 6th seed in the West. There was one night where he put up 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Nuggets in Denver, a game in which he hit a buzzer beater to beat the Nuggets, maybe the greatest game of his career. It was an historic season in which he recorded 42 triple-doubles and 62 double-doubles. The season almost played as a revenge tour, as his former co-star, Kevin Durant, had just departed Oklahoma City to join the Golden State Warriors.
Russ and KD came close to the promise land a couple of times. 2012 was the one time they reached the NBA Finals, a Thunder team that also had James Harden on it. They would make the Western Conference Finals on 2 other occasions, 2014 and 2016, with injuries derailing their seasons in 2013 and 2015. Their best chance to win was not 2012, but 2016. They had their best team that year, with Westbrook and Durant in their primes and guys like Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams, and Andre Roberson also on the team as role players. They took down the Mavericks in 5 quick games, winning the 4 games they won by an average of 23 points. Then after losing game one to the Spurs by 32 points in the second round, they found ways to win 4 out of the next 5 games advancing to the West Finals to play the Golden State Warriors. The series started off well as Oklahoma City beat Golden State in Oakland for game one 108-102 in a game Westbrook produced a stat line of 27 points, 12 assists, 7 steals, and 6 rebounds. After losing game 2, the Thunder went home, where they beat the Warriors by a combined 52 points, 28 and 24 points in each game. Durant had 33 points in game 3 and Westbrook had 36 points in game 4. Then they went back to Oakland for game 5, Durant scored 40 but the Thunder still lost as Steph Curry scored 31 and Klay Thompson added 27 points of his own. Then the teams traveled back to Oklahoma City, Thunder up 3-2 with a chance to end the 73-9 Warriors season (an NBA record for wins in a regular season) at home. The game did not go in OKC’s favor, Durant shot 10-31 and 1-8 from 3 point range, Westbrook was 10-27, and 0-5 from 3. Meanwhile, Klay Thompson scored 41 points, hitting 11 three pointers, a playoff record, and the Thunder lost the game, 108-101. Back at Oracle Arena in Oakland for game 7, Kevin Durant’s 27 points was not enough to match Steph Curry’s 36 as Westbrook took 21 shots to score just 19 and the Thunder lost 96-88. Then on July 4th, 2016, disaster stuck for the Thunder as Durant left the team to join those very same Warriors. The Thunder would never win another playoff series with Westbrook on their team.
Oklahoma City did try to win with Westbrook, after he won MVP, the Thunder would lose in the first round to the Houston Rockets, with every game within 6 points, besides game one where Houston beat the Thunder by 31 points. Then in June 2017, the Thunder acquired Paul George from the Indiana Pacers and in September, they would add Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks. They would win 48 games and be the fourth seed in the West, where they would play the Utah Jazz in the first round, where they would lose in six games, losing every road game they played in the series. Then they traded Anthony to the Hawks and added Dennis Schroder. It did not make a difference, the Thunder won 49 games, finishing as the sixth seed. They would match up against the Portland Trail Blazers, who beat them in five games and Damien Lillard hit one of the most iconic buzzer beaters to end Oklahoma City’s season and Westbrook's career as a member of the Thunder. In the 3 seasons without Durant, Russ averaged a triple double every year, winning one MVP, made All NBA 3 times (1st team once, 2nd team once, and 3rd team once), made 3 All-Star teams, and made the playoffs every year, but once Paul George was traded in July 2019, a Westbrook move became inevitable.
On July 11th, 2019, the Thunder traded their franchise icon to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, 2 first round picks (2024 and 2026), and 2 pick swaps (2021 and 2025). After 11 seasons in Oklahoma City, Westbrook was headed to Houston to reunite with James Harden. It was not great but them playing together was not a disaster. Houston won 44 games, in a season they only played 72, and finished as the fourth seed. Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. They would outlast the Thunder in seven games in round one before meeting the Lakers in the second round. None of the games were close with the closest being game two which the Lakers won by 8 points. The Rockets would win game one 112 to 97, a game where Russ scored 24 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists while having a plus 15. They would not win another game in the series, losing 4 in a row by 8, 10, 10, and 13 points in each game. Russell was up and down throughout the series but the Rockets were exclusively down as their season ended. The offseason, however, was a disaster for Houston as both Westbrook and Harden requested trades leading to both being granted.
On December 2nd, 2020, the Rockets dealt Westbrook to the Nation’s Capital in exchange for John Wall and a 2023 (lottery protected) 1st round pick. Westbrook would reunite with ex-Thunder coach Scott Brooks and team up with Bradley Beal with the Washington Wizards. There are a few problems, first off the Wizards have a bad roster outside of Beal and Westbrook. When you are relying on Robin Lopez and Alex Len at center it is going to be a struggle. They score a lot of points but they do not defend anyone. They have some good young players, I am a big Rui Hachimura fan and think he has good potential. But relying on guys like Lopez, Len, Ish Smith, Garrison Mathews, and paying Davis Bertans $80 million, that's not very good. The Wizards are 18-32 and 13th in the East, and to be blunt, they stink. It is time for them to blow it up. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double with 21 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds but the Wizards are 8-10 in games where Russ has a triple-double. Russell Westbrook has proven to have gas left in the tank, let’s hope it comes somewhere other than D.C.
Russell Westbrook in his prime was awesome, he was playing in the playoffs, giving out triple-doubles nightly, and was just so much fun. That guy has had a couple of showings in Washington but they are not being helped by his teammates as besides for Bradley Beal and Rui Hachimura, the Wizards roster is bad. He was so awesome when he was teammates with Kevin Durant and Paul George and had a very good year with James Harden in 2020. There is gas left but his contract makes him very undesirable for teams to acquire. Hopefully we will get to see Russell Westbrook ball again in the playoffs in the near-future, because I miss watching Russell Westbrook play in big games.
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