Russell Westbrook: Dominating in the Now While We Wait on Kobe and Lebron

For a moment, let's ignore the debate about Los Angeles Lakers' megastar Kobe Bryant's future or Lebron "King" James' potential to be an NBA champion.  Let's focus on the now:  Russell Westbrook, point guard of the Oklahoma City Thunder, is currently this year's NBA playoffs MVP. 

Westbrook's overall numbers during the 2012 NBA playoffs speak for themselves.  Westbrook is averaging 24.4 PPG and 4.4 APG to only 1.5 turnovers a game.  His 27.5 player efficiency rating (PER) is actually higher than his generally higher-regarded teammate Kevin Durant (26.5 PER). 

More in-depth, in-game statistics further distinguish Westbrook as the best player in the NBA playoffs thus far.  Before Durant hit his game winner in Game 4 against the Lakers, it was Russell Westbrook who accumulated 15 points on seven of OKC's 11 scores in the third quarter to keep OKC within striking distance of a Lakers squad who, at the time, were executing at a high level. 

It was Westbrook again who ran off four consecutive scores in under a minute of the fourth quarter to pull OKC within four points of the Lakers, effectively throwing the Lakers' game off with just under four minutes left in the game.

Two nights later, in Game 5, Bryant—on his way to 42 points on 18-of-33 shooting—attempted to "take over" in the third quarter in a tightly contested game.  Westbrook responded to Bryant's efforts by scoring 10 points in the last four minutes of the quarter, including this circus shot that left the Chesapeake Energy Arena in a frenzy.

Yeah, OKC was only up by seven at the end of the third quarter.  But judging from the Lakers' body language for the rest of the game, Westbrook had already stuck a dagger in them during those crucial four minutes.

Westbrook's barrage of rapid scoring during pivotal stretches in each game effectively accelerated the pace, throwing a wrench into the Lakers' strategy of employing a grinding, methodical low-post-orientated attack and thereby causing more Lakers errors on both ends of the floor.

In sum, the 23-year-old Westbrook tore apart one of the NBA's fabled franchises and, in doing so, lead OKC's advancement into the Western Conference Finals.

And yet...

After Oklahoma City impressively beat the Lakers to win the series 4-1, the loudest buzz is about just what Kobe Bryant will now do that his Lakers have been ousted in the playoffs.  Will he privately (that's how you do it, Dwight Howard) demand Mike Brown's resignation?  Will he demand a Pau Gasol trade?  Will he demand Pau Gasol's head on a platter too?  Will Kobe win his sixth ring? 

And, of course, the biggest question is whether King James will ever be able to come up big consistently in pivotal playoff spots (let alone beat a young, inexperienced Indiana Pacers squad). 

These questions are all speculative slaves to incomplete information, suspending fans' minds into an unknown future.  They deflect, in part, recognition for the amazing play happening now, on the floor:  Russell Westbrook, dropping 28 points to close out an albeit imperfect but still formidable Lakers squad in an impressive 4-1 series win; evidence that is pouring in to prove that Westbrook has been the best player in the playoffs thus far. 

Up next for Westbrook and the OKC Thunder:  the San Antonio Spurs.  What we can hope for when these two small-market franchises square off is a lot of great hoops in the present without too much surrounding hoopla concerning the future.