Russell Westbrook's Ferocity Carries, Buries Thunder and Sunday NBA Takeaways
In the end, the same unbridled intensity that Russell Westbrook used to drag the injury-riddled Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink of the postseason may very well have ended their playoff hopes.
Westbrook, playing with uncommonly raw desperation (even for him), went supernova against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, exploding for a career-high 54 points on an NBA season-high 43 shots. Despite Westbrook's heroism, the Thunder fell, 116-104.
In the aftermath of a statistically staggering contest for OKC's ultra-competitive point guard, one number blew away all the rest: 16.
Russ earned his 16th technical foul with five minutes, 56 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, via Mike Prada of SBNation.
NBA rules mandate that a player who accumulates 16 technical fouls in a season will be suspended for one game. As SportsCenter relayed, Kevin Durant, watching the proceedings while he recovers from foot surgery, knew the stakes and wasn't happy:
Asking Westbrook to rein in his emotions, to maintain some perspective and understand how vital it was for him not to pick up that fateful 16th tech is about as useful as asking him to slow down on the break. He just can't do it, and it's important to understand that the same unmanageable qualities that make him great also make him prone to potentially season-killing mistakes like the one he made Sunday.
And it doesn't matter whether you think the technical was justified or not.
A more reserved player would have realized important to the Thunder's season it was to avoid any potential dust-ups with the referees. A more reserved player would have held his emotions in check.
But a more reserved player never could have hauled a battered Thunder team to this point on the strength of his will and the ferocity of his spirit alone.
You want Westbrook to play like a superhero for three months and then act like a mortal when it suits you? Forget it.
That's not how this works, and Westbrook, per NBA on ESPN, wasn't shy about explaining his approach:
This is the total Russ package, and you can't pick and choose which parts you get.
And let's also keep a couple of things in mind before we lay blame at Westbrook's feet: OKC shot 11-of-28 from the free-throw line against Indiana and surrendered 116 points to the league's No. 23 offense. I'm not sure which is worse.
The Thunder aren't cooked yet. On Sunday, James Harden and the Houston Rockets beat the New Orleans Pelicans, with whom the Thunder are tied for the final playoff spot, which proves OKC general manager Sam Presti planned all along to trade Harden to a team that could indirectly help keep his team's playoff dreams alive.
Or maybe not. Still, you can bet OKC is happy Harden dropped 30 on the Pellies in the win.
Back to the Thunder.
There's a chance the league rescinds Westbrook's technical foul, which it did when he picked up his 15th violation on March 31. Per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks is hopeful that'll happen a second time:
We can't know which magic words Westbrook may have directed at referee Ed Malloy, but there have certainly been technicals that appeared more egregious. Royce Young of ESPN.com made an observation that should hearten Thunder fans hoping for the tech to be rescinded:
But if the tech sticks and Westbrook doesn't play against the Portland Trail Blazers Monday, it's difficult to imagine the Thunder winning. And that's a problem because the Pelicans own the tiebreaker over the Thunder, which means New Orleans controls its own destiny. If the Pelicans win their last two games, they're in. If they only win one, OKC has to win both of its final games.
Now here's where things stand in the West:
| 1. Golden State Warriors | 65-15 | — |
| 2. San Antonio Spurs | 55-26 | 10.5 |
| 3. Los Angeles Clippers | 54-26 | 11 |
| 4. Portland Trail Blazers | 51-29 | 14 |
| 5. Memphis Grizzlies | 54-26 | 11 |
| 6. Houston Rockets | 54-26 | 11 |
| 7. Dallas Mavericks | 48-31 | 16.5 |
| 8. New Orleans Pelicans | 43-37 | 22 |
| 9. Oklahoma City Thunder | 43-37 | 22 |
Lest we forget, the Pacers are embroiled in a battle for their playoff lives, too. Here's how their big win leaves things in the East:
| 1. Atlanta Hawks | 60-20 | — |
| 2. Cleveland Cavaliers | 51-29 | 9 |
| 3. Toronto Raptors | 48-32 | 12 |
| 4. Chicago Bulls | 48-32 | 12 |
| 5. Washington Wizards | 46-34 | 14 |
| 6. Milwaukee Bucks | 40-40 | 20 |
| 7. Boston Celtics | 38-42 | 22 |
| 8. Brooklyn Nets | 37-43 | 23 |
| 9. Indiana Pacers | 37-43 | 23 |
| 10. Miami Heat | 35-45 | 25 |
Indiana's situation is similar to Oklahoma City's. The No. 8 Brooklyn Nets hold the tiebreaker in their head-to-head matchup. So despite having the same record as Brooklyn, the Pacers must outperform the Nets over the final two games of the year to make the playoffs. Finishing tied with Brooklyn means finishing ninth in the standings and missing the postseason.
The Boston Celtics currently occupy the No. 7 spot. If they win their final two games or Indiana loses either of its final two, the Celtics will extend their season.
Per J. Michael of CSN Washington, the Washington Wizards would love to help the Celtics do that by beating Indy, which they'll get a chance to do on April 14:
With the year winding down and tempers flaring, it's time for teams from the bottom of both playoff ladders to make their final pushes.
Buckle up.
Around the Association
Bucks Complete One Hell of a Turnaround
Back in the days before Apple made watches and LeBron James' talents were still in South Beach, the Milwaukee Bucks were pretty terrible.
Really terrible, actually.
The 2013-14 Bucks finished a league-worst 15-67. Since then, plenty has changed. (The Apple Watch is a thing now, and James is in Cleveland...again.)
The biggest, most improbable, most remarkable change?
The Bucks are officially in the playoffs, and their team Twitter feed didn't waste any time celebrating.
Say what you want about the horrible East, but it's a major feat to make a 25-win (and counting) jump in the standings and secure a postseason berth in only a year after bringing up the tail end of the lottery.
Milwaukee may not be finished yet, either. If the playoffs started today, the Bucks would get the Raptors in the first round. With Toronto looking shaky for the last three months, an upset could be in the works.
Pero Antic Pulled the Chair, Was Symbolic
Consider this a pilot program for next year's roundup template, in which we beta-test the following rule: Any time a player successfully pulls the chair on an opponent, it makes the roundup. No questions asked.
Pero Antic, this is your moment, via Hawks writer K.L. Chouinard:
Like a contact-seeking Nene, Atlanta stumbled on Sunday, falling to the Washington Wizards by a final of 108-99. Nobody in Hawks country is panicking, though, as Atlanta is just playing out the string with a comfortable lead in the East.
They rested all five starters against the Wizards.
Oh, and as for Antic's symbolism, it's hard to avoid the thought that his clever play on Nene is kind of a microcosm of what the Hawks have done to the rest of the East this year: rely on smarts and skill to make more theoretically imposing foes look silly.
Danny Green Is a Record-Setter
Three-point records these days are like rainbows: inspiring and pretty to look at but certain to disappear.
Danny Green set the San Antonio Spurs' franchise record for made threes in a season during a 107-91 win over the Phoenix Suns, which is certainly deserving of recognition.
The Spurs' official Twitter feed took care of that:
But in an NBA becoming ever more committed to long-range shooting, there's little chance Green's mark (like Stephen Curry's single-season record, set against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 9) will hold up for long.
The three-point revolution is upon us.
The West Remains Wild
Time to talk tiebreakers.
Right now, seeds two through six are a congested mess out West. Here's what you need to know to keep things straight—insofar as that's possible.
- The Spurs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rockets.
- The Memphis Grizzlies have edges on the Rockets and Spurs, even though Memphis split both season series because the team with the better divisional record gets a nod. Memphis has both Houston and San Antonio beat there.
- The winner of the Southwest Division (whether that's Houston, Memphis or San Antonio) will be seeded higher than the Clippers because Chris Paul and friends will finish second in the Pacific. Division winners get priority.
- The Clippers do, however, have the tiebreaker over whichever Southwest teams don't win the division because L.A. has a better record against the West.
Got all that?
Great. Let's hit the stretch run.
