Westbrook’s more balanced approach leads OKC, puts Spurs on brink
Russell Westbrook has been a subject of both criticism and faint praise throughout the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Western Conference Semifinals with the San Antonio Spurs. The attack-first-and-second point guard missed 21 shots in a Game 3 home loss that gave homecourt advantage back to San Antonio and was criticized heavily for not sharing the ball enough with Kevin Durant, and then had a supposed “bounce-back” performance in a Durant-dominated Game 4 win that saw the normally hyper-intense Westbrook credited essentially for not getting in his co-star’s way (and rendered mostly unnecessary in the process). The seeming on-court dissonance between Durant and Westbrook in that huge OKC victory even inspired thoughtful consideration that the longtime Thunder stars might no longer be able to play at their peaks simultaneously.
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Tuesday’s Game 5 didn’t necessarily solve that question forever, but it did prove without a doubt that Westbrook is plenty capable of tempering his most extreme tendencies in a way that doesn’t detract from his overall effectiveness. After a somewhat inhibited first half, Westbrook was the best player on the floor in the third and fourth quarters, finishing with 35 points (12-of-27 FG, 3-of-7 3FG, 8-of-8 FT), 11 rebounds, and nine assists in a tight 95-91 victory. His stellar, balanced play gave the Thunder a 3-2 advantage in the series and an opportunity to oust the 67-win Spurs from the postseason at home in Thursday’s Game 6.
Westbrook was especially terrific when it mattered most, scoring 21 points after the break and 11 in the fourth quarter, including the game-clinching and-one lay-up on the Thunder’s controversial final possession. With Durant playing well but generally struggling to score consistently (21 points on 8-of-21 shooting), Westbrook took it upon himself to create much of OKC’s offense without serving as an overbearing presence. He was instrumental in bringing the Thunder back from a 12-point deficit midway through the third quarter and scored or assisted on five of their seven successful possessions in the final 5:00 of regulation.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
