Russell Westbrook Carrying OKC Thunder When It Matters Most
When The Fast and the Furious 8 is inevitably released, the subtitle should read "The Russell Westbrook Story."
That's the sort of high praise Westbrook deserves as he posts averages of 35.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists in the month of March.
Barreling into the teeth of the Chicago Bulls' defense, Westbrook helped the Oklahoma City Thunder (37-29) exact revenge nearly a week after they were downed, 108-105, by Pau Gasol and Co. last Thursday.
And while Westbrook dazzled on March 5 to the tune of 43 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, he was able to finish the job this time around. When all was said and done, Oklahoma City conquered Chicago (40-28), 109-100, thanks to a 62-53 second-half scoring advantage.
As has been the case with Kevin Durant sidelined, the Thunder's late-game resurgence was expedited by Westbrook's top-to-bottom dominance.
Despite starting 1-of-8 from the field, Westbrook finished with a game-high 36 points on 12-of-27 shooting (10-of-13 from the free-throw line), 11 rebounds and six assists.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Westbrook is in a league of his own among guards as a scorer and rebounder:
"You just try to make him work for his points," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters following the loss, according to The Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "He's playing at such a high level right now and he is making plays on top of it, so he keeps pressure on you at all times."
With 26 of Westbrook's points coming in the second half, Bleacher Report's Jared Dubin explained just how prolific the burgeoning MVP candidate was after a shaky start:
Of course, that relentless attitude is merely the Westbrook way, as GQ magazine's Bethlehem Shoals noted:
"What's amazing is that Westbrook started that game so bad and then grew and grew until he was the best player in basketball again.
— Bethlehem Shoals (@freedarko) March 15, 2015"
If at first he doesn't succeed, Westbrook is going to ramp up the intensity. And when mach speed is reached, you can count on Oklahoma City's floor general bludgeoning opponents in the paint when the game is on the line.
As the following shot chart from NBA.com indicates, nine of Westbrook's 12 conversions came in the paint:
What's really remarkable is that Westbrook didn't score a single easy bucket against the Bulls.
According to SportVU player-tracking data, all 12 of Westbrook's made field goals were contested—meaning there was a defender within 3.5 feet at the point of the shot. On those attempts, he shot 54.5 percent from the field.
| 33.1 | 10.7 | 10.6 | 43.4 | 33.3 |
Since he possesses a remarkable flair for the spectacular in unique and combative ways, that's not entirely surprising.
It's also not surprising that Westbrook's intensity meter shattered with Sunday's game hanging in the balance. In a tight-knit affair, Oklahoma City's lead dog owned the final five minutes—which has been a theme all season long.
Leading by one with 5:30 remaining, the Thunder were able to ward off Chicago as Westbrook diced his way into the lane repeatedly. In that span, Westbrook compiled 10 points and three assists (half of his total).
He also snuck in for a steal and burned down the floor to score a fierce transition bucket with just over a minute remaining:
During clutch moments—defined as games within five points with under five minutes remaining—garish production has been the norm.
Westbrook ranks No. 2 overall in clutch-scoring average at 4.3 points. Only LeBron James (4.7 points) has been better. Since Kevin Durant hit the shelf again on Feb. 21, Westbrook's clutch-scoring average has ticked up to 6.6 points, with only James and Kyrie Irving ahead of him.
As his timely crunch-time swipe indicated, Westbrook is also a master of late-game thievery. Along with P.J. Tucker, Westbrook is tied for the league lead with 10 clutch steals.
It's impossible to ignore his distributive prowess, either.
With half Westbrook's assists coming in the latter half of the fourth quarter, he reinforced the notion that it's cruel and unusual to insinuate he's somehow not a real point guard—a designation which is defined by arbitrary and subjective parameters.
By feeding Anthony Morrow (11 points, 4-of-7 shooting) for a dagger three with 40 seconds remaining, Westbrook allowed his selfless tendencies to shine brightest.
"I think it was a good play Scotty drew up out of the timeout," Westbrook told reporters, according to ESPN.com's Royce Young. "We did a good job learning from our mistakes, because the first time we played them, I had a chance to hit Serge on a kick-back, two guys were on me. Tonight, same situation, two guys on me, I kicked to A-Mo, trusted my teammate and he knocked it down."
Having shelled out 15 clutch helpers, Westbrook is in the same company as Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and LeBron James—with only 23 appearances in those circumstances under his belt.
Looks like a point guard to me.
There's an unpredictability to Westbrook's game that makes him an easy target for criticism, but as Oklahoma City's 14-5 record since Feb. 1 indicates, the method to his madness has been substantiated.
And then some.
All statistics current as of March 15 and courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
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