NBA Finals 2012: Russell Westbrook's Dumb Foul Doesn't Undo Game 4 Brilliance

Russell Westbrook just unleashed one of the most dominant performances in recent NBA Finals history.

Thanks to a mindless foul by him with 15 seconds left in Game 4, it was all for naught.

And sadly, it's likely to be remembered that way, too.

There's no question, Westbrook's going to catch a lot of heat in the next 36 hours for that foul.

Deservedly so.

With 15 seconds left in the game, Miami was up 101-98 when the referees called for a jump ball.

Udonis Haslem tipped the ball to Shane Battier, who tipped it into the hands of Mario Chalmers, with few precious seconds remaining on the shot clock. Chalmers' momentum carried him out toward the three-point line, which would have made for a difficult turnaround jumper...until Westbrook appeared to intentionally foul him.

Brain fart of the year? Absolutely.

Let's keep that brain fart in perspective before getting back on Westbrook's case, though.

The oft-criticized Thunder point guard caught an insane amount of heat for his inefficiency in Game 3, and it appeared in Game 4 that Westbrook was on a one-man mission to prove the doubters wrong.

Westbrook came out on fire in the first quarter, registering 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting with two assists in the game's first 11 minutes. After being taken out for a quick breather at the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters, he played the rest of the game and never slowed down.

Westbrook notched 43 points on 20-of-32 shooting in Game 4, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and a steal. One look at his Game 4 shot chart speaks to the aggressive mentality he brought into the game, with 13 attempts (eight of them made) coming from inside the paint.

He basically played like a mini-LeBron James. If you've never seen a 6'3" runaway freight train, you clearly missed Westbrook's Game 4 performance.

He became the first player in NBA history Tuesday night to register 20 or more field goals in a game that his team would go on to lose, according to ESPN and the Elias Sports Bureau.

Without Westbrook, there's no potential win to bobble away late. His relentlessness single-handedly carried the Thunder at times Tuesday night.

After punching the Heat in the mouth in the opening quarter (the Thunder were up 33-16 at the end of the first), the Thunder couldn't get anyone besides Westbrook and Kevin Durant going offensively for the rest of the game.

In the fourth quarter alone, Westbrook racked up a ridiculous 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, knocked down his only three free throws of the game, and recorded a rebound and a steal (along with two turnovers, for the detractors out there).

Durant, on the other hand, only scored six points and managed three shot attempts in the final frame. (Sidenote: GIVE K.D. THE BALL!)

There's no denying that Westbrook's absent-minded foul wiped out any realistic chance the Thunder had of coming back in Game 4. Chalmers calmly walked to the line and drained both free throws, capping off a 25-point night for him and extending the Heat's lead to five.

To add insult to injury, Westbrook turned the ball over with eight seconds left, officially ending the comeback.

But if you're looking for a culprit for the Game 4 loss, don't point your finger at Westbrook. His transcendence saved the Thunder for most of the game, despite the late miscues.

Instead, it's time to shine the spotlight on the suddenly shrinking James Harden, who's labored through three subpar performances in this series so far.

Besides in Game 2, where he rallied the Thunder with 10 early points and finished with 21 on the night, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been limited to a single-digit output in every other game of the series.

In this epic battle of Big Threes, the Thunder can't afford only bringing two superstars to the table. Not with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all pulling their weight on the other end for Miami.

Harden has now struggled through two straight 2-of-10 shooting performances from the field, with the damage never more evident than what happened with two minutes remaining in Game 4. Harden caught the ball at the free-throw line and the Heat left him wide open, daring him to shoot.

Harden hesitated. He looked around, desperately, for someone to pass to. He hesitated again.

Finally, he shot.

Brick.

Harden had his chances last night. Miami left him a couple wide-open three-point looks, the kind he'd drain without thinking twice in the San Antonio series, but Harden could only knock down 1-of-5 threes for the night.

For the Thunder to make this a series again and send it back to Oklahoma City for Game 6, they'll need Harden to rediscover his offensive mojo in the next two days. They can't afford Harden to have a true shooting percentage below .350 anymore, which he's managed in both of the past two games. 

Considering how well Westbrook played after being ripped across the country by the media before Game 3, maybe it's time for the NBA blogging community to give Harden the same treatment?

One thing's for certain. Westbrook's performance last night, despite his questionable foul late in the game, should earn him respite from the vast majority of the criticism.

Well, at least until Game 5.