I've never seen an over-50 point game that I was less impressed with. Kobe was a ball-hog too, but at least it was for the sake of the team and the win. Westbrook is one for the sake of himself and his stats. Mark Cuban got it right.
Clowns all of you! This guy is a fucking BEAST on the court! The same that hate on Russ probably are the ones trying to crack on Harden's game at the start of this season! If you've ever played a lick of competitive basketball how can you hate on his game. He's doing things on the NBA court that on few have. I don't give a fuck WHAT the circumstances are! Few have done what he's doing and that's an unarguable fact. Step out from your mom's basement and give credit where it's due. You don't have to root for him and you can actually root against him and actually hate him, but you can't take away what this kid is accomplishing.
Kobe's teams would not be in positions to win games without what he brought. Plain fact son. Hate him all you want. No different then ass faces on here who have the nerve to complain about Dame. You know how man games we wouldn't even be in if it weren't for him. You HAVE to give props to guys that can control and take a game over the way these guys do. Do nitpick is like complaining about a mole on a super model.
You could have replaced Kobe with any top tier SG and they still would have won championships. Someone like a Ray Allen. Paired with Shaq? Come on. Prime Andrew Bynum + Pau Gasol? They won despite Kobe. He made players around him worse when he would kill the ball on offense. At least Westbrook's getting assists.
Kobe didn't make his teammates better when he lost a superstar cast....he scored over 50 in many losses....the criticism of Russ is that he chucks at the end of games too much....this I agree with but I don't think there's a better fast break guy in the game...I want him shooting 3s all 4th qtr though....he does tend to brick those with games on the line.....sorry dude...I know you worship Kobe and all.
Russ is a monster. Even late in the fourth quarter, the guy goes all out on every possession. Such an intense personality-- could prolly be a detriment at times, but he's amazing to watch. And his shot has improved so much. He just doesn't look human.
I wouldn't say that Westbrook is overrated but I also wouldn't say he should finish higher than 2nd in the MVP voting. Maybe not even higher than 3rd. No shame in that. Oscar Robertson didn't win the MVP the year he averaged a triple-double either.
Westbrook has a below .500 record for his career (14-16) in games in which he's scored 40+ (7-7 this season). Can that be said about any other "star" player?
Say what you like. Westbrook is a friggin' beast. But he's a beast who shot them out of the game last night, make no mistake.
The difference between guys like dame/harden and Westbrook is Lillard and harden don't just pass when the lane clogs up or when they have no other choice. They actively try to get teammates involved. Westbrook plays one way, and it's definitely fun to watch, unless you're his teammate. Take last night for example. Oladipo was lighting us up from deep, yet he only got 5 shots. Meanwhile Westbrook jacked up something like 10 threes. A below average outside shooter like Westbrook should never get that many attempts. It doesn't help the team. Its why he so often chokes late in games. He wears himself out going into the fourth, and then jacks up a bunch of idiotic shots instead of delegating to much better shooters, shooters that would be wide open because of the attention he draws. I will give Westbrook his due though. He is the most explosive athlete in the league, probably the best player in transition (wall is close), plays with a very rare want to, and is the best rebounding point guard, maybe ever. But he can be so much more.
To me, Russ is the MVP this year. I mean I'd probably have Leonard in there too (not Meyers obviously). He is a monster. They lose Durant and they are still a very formidable team. Just insane how he gets his triple dubs, truly historic.
Westbrook plays games with the pedal to the metal....but I notice he starts missing halfway through the fourth qtr in those games more often than not....legs..that's when he needs to share the rock. I always want him chucking 3s in a close game with 2 minutes left...doesn't mean he's not a great player...just means to me that he doesn't always pace himself throughout a game.
I was unimpressed with OKC's offense to start the second quarter after they put up 40 in the first. Did they even score in the 5 minutes Westbrick was out of the game? Westbrick had an amazingly efficient game last night. That for the most part he played under control in. Could he have got Dipo more involved? Yes. He went cold late which was obviously the gameplan for Portland. But without Westbrick, OKC isn't even in that game last night. It was mentioned in the game thread to start the 2nd quarter how piss poor OKC's offense looked for those 5 minutes Westbrick was resting.
So did Charles Barkley. OKC is 3-6 when Westbroook scores 45+. The best way to beat OKC is to hope Westbrook tries to take over the game and go 1-on-5 in the 4th quarter like he did last night. 6-15 in the 4th quarter last night. Who the fuck jacks up 15 shots in the 4th quarter of winnable game? He's an amazing physical talent, but also a selfish, mental midget. Basketball is STILL a team game, and you saw that last night. Westbroook with 58 points, freezing out his teammates and trying, and failing, to be the hero in the 4th quarter for the LOSS. The Blazers with 7 players in double figures and multiple players contributing down the stretch for the WIN. The selfish, wannabe hero lost. The TEAM won. @HCP may not get it, but I'm glad our players do: ''When you see the stats, Russ got like 60 or whatever,'' said Portland center Jusuf Nurkic, who scored 17 points. ''I give him 80, we still have to win. I respect what he does, but I'm happy for our team.'' ''He's incredible,'' Portland center Meyers Leonard said. ''With that being said, sometimes, it becomes a one-man show. Now, he's capable of that, but I think it's to our credit, from top to bottom, that we had a lot of guys contribute.'' Of course, the guy who really doesn't get it is Westbrook himself: ''Yeah, just missed them,'' Westbrook said. ''Made them all game.'' No you didn't make them all game, you missed them, a ton of them, when it mattered the most. You didn't even try to let your teammates help win the game. You just took it all on yourself and cost your team the game. That's why Durant left. Somethings never change. BNM
Blazers are 3-1 against the Thunder this season, and he has scored more points on us in three games than any player against a single team since Jordan in 1990. Good for him. Get those individual stats. We'll just keep beating him.
They are NOT a formidable TEAM. They are in 7th place in the West and have lost 4 in a row, including to us twice in less than a week. If they are formidable, what does that make us, the favorites to win it all? They also just lost to PHO and to DAL by 15. If they can't even beat the teams below them in the standings, they have no chance of winning a playoff series against any of the teams ahead of them in the standings. Westbrook may be a formidable player, but OKC is NOT a formidable TEAM. BNM
