Russell Westbrook’s 54 Points Still Has Oklahoma City Climbing
By Shane Young
Towards the end of an NBA season, which is incredibly too long for most players and coaches, you come across a handful of “must-win” matchups. Sunday’s inter-conference battle between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder offered the most monumental “do-or-die” of the year.
Technically, both teams could’ve lost on Sunday and still mathematically been alive for the final seed in the Eastern or Western conference. However, neither team was ready to lay those cards on the table, and play the game of chances. Controlling your own destiny is the most valuable part of a late-season playoff chase, and neither team has possession of that destiny.
Both Indiana and Oklahoma City could’ve won every game left on their schedule, and they would still miss the playoffs. That is, unless other teams currently in playoff seeds “helped them out” by losing their final games.
The stage was set before tip-off:
- Brooklyn (East’s current 8 seed) fell on their faces in Milwaukee, falling to 37-43 on the year. Indiana needed a win over the Thunder to tie Brooklyn’s record. Since the Nets own the tie-breaker over the Pacers, Indiana would then have to pray that Lionel Hollins coughed up another loss on Monday (vs. Chicago).
- New Orleans (West’s current 8 seed) was in Houston on Sunday as well. The Thunder would need to take down Indiana, with the Rockets also knocking off the Pelicans. It would’ve thrown Oklahoma City into the eighth spot, momentarily.
Understanding the high stakes on Sunday, Russell Westbrook stopped at nothing to get Oklahoma City over the hump. With vital teammates Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka missing 69 combined games this season, everything has been on Westbrook’s shoulders.
Fortunately for head coach Scott Brooks, that’s exactly how his little warrior likes it. Westbrook venerates the idea of being in the driver’s seat offensively, and his performance in Indianapolis further proved it.
Scoring 54 points, Westbrook exceeded the 50-point mark for the first time in his career. Being in the league seven years and playing 505 games, he’s had his fair share of invigorating moments. From the opening quarter, which included 22 of his 54 points, Westbrook compiled a lot of special moments into one single game.
In the first 12 minutes alone, Westbrook shot 9-of-14 (64.3%) from the field, with the other eight Thunder players combining for 5-of-12 (41.7%). Even with the Pacers trying to lock down the paint and throwing multiple defenders in Westbrook’s way during his drives, there was no limiting him.
Any NBA superstar will agree that your consistency over the course of a 48-minute game is important, which is why LeBron James is so highly-regarded. But, majority of those players will also agree that your production in the first and fourth quarters is what matters over anything. Westbrook was a bit volatile in his scoring, by tallying 42 points in the first and fourth quarters combined, while shooting 16-of-27 from the field. He did cool off a bit in middle of the night, scoring just 12 points in the second and third quarters on 5-of-16 shooting.
It was constant paint attacking, great looks from the perimeter, mixed with the unique three-point plays only Westbrook can capitalize on. Being hounded by George Hill for most of the night, Westbrook didn’t let the Pacers’ inflexible defense get to his head. With Hill’s body on his hip and hand in his face, he certainly didn’t mind taking contested jumpers from mid-range, neither. One instance included a step-back 15-footer, in which Westbrook drew the foul on Hill along with the bucket.
From that moment forward, the rest of the night was his. If there’s one thing about Oklahoma City’s wild child at point guard we all understand … it’s that he never lacks poise. Outside of Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, or Larry Bird, the world really hasn’t been exposed to Westbrook’s level of confidence. We’re talking about the same Larry Legend that kept his warmup jacket on during his superb round in the 3-point shooting contest, because he knew he didn’t even have to try.
In Westbrook’s case, it’s something everyone should hold on to for the next 9-11 years of his career, because it’s rare to find fearlessness in the form of his greatness.
Typically, you can find someone that has zero fears or doubts on the court, but they aren’t in the upper-echelon of their position. The players fitting the hostile and villain categories, such as Matt Barnes or Metta World Peace in their respective heydays often lack the type of skill or basketball acuity required to be a superstar. They weren’t half the scorers Westbrook is on a nightly basis, and it’s about time everyone realizes this exclusive breed we’re seeing unfold.
With Westbrook, you’re getting the best of both worlds. There isn’t a tougher player on the court when he’s in uniform. On top of that, there’s rarely a player more skilled or fundamentally built, as well. When there is, it’s usually his teammate, the transcendent scorer in Kevin Durant. To be able to say Westbrook is the quintessential athlete when it comes to giving 110% every second he’s on the floor, while also being proficient on the offensive end … is just an oddity.
Parallels are often drawn between players of different generations, but it’s fitting that Westbrook has the strongest resemblance of someone that’s about to retire. If Kobe Bryant were three inches shorter, about 15 pounds lighter, and 10 years younger, his name would be Russell Westbrook. He would be the so-called problem child, causing destruction in every arena he enters.
The comparison between Westbrook and Bryant is only strengthening by the day, although they’ve played two different positions in their prime. Their characters and philosophy couldn’t be more similar, nonetheless.
Neither of them care how quickly the shots are being computed on the stat-sheets. Neither of them care if their team is down 30, or up 30 … they still want their looks at the basket. Neither Bryant nor Westbrook foster the idea of “backing off” when the game reaches its closing minutes. Both want to be the central reason for a comeback win, a late-game finish that gets the national audience chirping. Most importantly, both want to be the number one concern for a team on the scouting report. They want their team’s identity — how hard they play, the style in which they play, and how far they go — to rest on their own shoulders.
It’s been easier for Bryant to accomplish that form of identity than it has for Westbrook.
While Bryant has also been in a side-kick role in his career (eight seasons with Shaq), he’s also had the last 11 seasons to prove why he can be the main luminary of a team.
Westbrook hasn’t had that individuality yet. He’s played all of his seven seasons next to Durant, the second-youngest player to score 15,000 points in a career. It obviously makes it difficult to shine on your own when there’s an MVP-winner and dynamic talent beside you.
That’s exactly why this season has been so memorable for those who appreciate Westbrook’s demeanor. He’s been given the keys to the team from opening night, when Oklahoma City had to start the season without Durant. Now, they’ve had to finish the last two months without him as well.
Since Durant’s injury re-occurred, his partner has loaded up the troops and taken initiative. In terms of raw performances (disregarding efficiency), there’s been very few two-month stretches better than Westbrook’s current one.
Since the All-Star break (Feb. 15), no player has even come close to touching Westbrook’s usage. During that span, Westbrook has taken 629 field goals. The next volume shot-taker has been DeMar DeRozan, attempting 482 shots — 147 fewer than Westbrook.
Westbrook has also almost reached James Harden status in getting to the foul line, as he’s attempted 288 free throws since the All-Star break. Harden’s 307 attempts is the only figure higher during those 26 games. As Westbrook continues to put his head down and drive — sometimes uncontrollably — he’s getting his points from all different areas. It’s another parallel between he and Bryant, as they will literally take anything that’s given to them with just six inches of space, regardless of their range, career hot-spots, or current slump.
As a whole, Oklahoma City has been more reliant on Westbrook than a team I can ever recall.
Since Feb. 15, the Thunder have attempted the 3rd most field goals in the league, taking 2,335 shots when Westbrook plays. His 629 alone has accounted for 26.9% of OKC’s attempts. The initial thought is that it doesn’t seem like a lot. However, it’s vastly more than anyone else in the league, as DeRozan has taken 21.7% of Toronto’s shots, and Harden at 21.2% of Houston’s.
In Sunday night’s loss to Indiana, Westbrook entered a certain group with Kobe that may not be as praised. He became just the 4th player since 1985-86 to attempt more than 42 shots in a single game. Bryant has let it happen five separate times, Michael Jordan has four times, and Chris Webber just once. The most since 1985 was Jordan’s 49 attempts in January 1993, which allowed him to score 64 points.
What’s fascinating about Westbrook’s performance on Sunday, was the fact that he was able to break through a battle-tested defense in Indiana. When Jordan scored 64 and took nearly 50 shots to reach it, he was toe-to-toe with the 1992-93 Orlando Magic, which ranked 12th in defensive rating during that season. These current Pacers are 7th in defensive rating, allowing just 103.3 points per 100 possessions.
He didn’t care how high the odds were stacked against him. All he ever wants to do is keep pushing, until he’s out of gas and the engine starts sputtering. Even then, he’ll give you an extra mile before the ride comes to a complete stop.
Westbrook is aggressively trying to be the most revolutionary and unconventional point guard to take over the league. He’s already surpassed Derrick Rose as the most athletic in his position’s history, so he’s just continuing to drill the public with these special feats. By giving everyone the performances to drool over, he can send his message loud and clear. He’s not taking a backseat to anyone who thinks they’re better than him.
Although Westbrook’s goal is never to shape public perception of himself — because he says the only reason he plays is to win at all costs — there’s no denying that his high volume of shots is doing it for him.
If his career is able to go the distance, there’s going to be zero questions of who the most offensively-driven point guard has been throughout history.
Since the NBA was created, only five point guards in history have attempted more than 16,000 shots for a full career. The leader of the bunch, Allen Iverson, applied a different twist to how a point guard could score:
- Allen Iverson — 19,906 field goal attempts
- Oscar Robertson — 19,620
- Gary Payton — 18,698
- Bob Cousy — 16,468
- Gail Goodrich — 16,300
This is where it gets mind-blowing. If Westbrook gets his 16th technical foul of the season rescinded by the league (allowing him to play Monday vs. Portland), let’s just assume he sticks to his average of 22 shots per game. If he takes 44 more shots to end the year, he will have 8,705 field goal attempts through his career, an average of 17.2 per contest.
Westbrook’s longevity will be dicey with his surgically-repaired knee, but there’s strong reason to belief he can play 16+ years. It’s just the norm for legendary players these days.
If he sticks true to his normal style, he will be on pace to reach 19,900 field goal attempts after his 16th year in the league. Of course, that’s not taking into account any future injuries, roster outlooks, or anything that may sway the projection in any way. After his 17th year in the league, Westbrook would be on pace to take over 21,000 field goal attempts for his career — by far the most of any point guard in history.
To diminish what Westbrook has meant to his team, in regards to the MVP race, is understandable. Oklahoma City has still went 15-12 since the All-Star break, which isn’t exactly what this team needed in order to reach the playoffs.
However, to completely disregard the extraordinary nature we’re seeing on a nightly basis from this guy is just a mistake. He may not be the MVP this year, or any year that he’s under the same spotlight as No. 35. But, it doesn’t take away from the idea of him being the most destructive force under 6-4 that we’ve ever seen.
His 54-point night should’ve resulted in a win. While I’m not certain he would’ve traded half of his shot opportunities for a victory on Sunday, perhaps a crack at the Warriors in the 1st round would entice him to, just for a second.
Whether 43 was too many or not, in that circumstance vs. Indiana, doesn’t matter to some people. But, history says it should. The loss was predictable, because only two of the 11 occurrences of 43+ shots in a game resulted in a win. Neither of them were from Michael Jordan.
Westbrook didn’t get the job done, but there’s only so much blame you can throw on him when his teammates fail to pick up the slack. 0-of-10 from the free throw line by Steven Adams and Dion Waiters didn’t resonate well with Scott Brooks, and that’s exactly why he doesn’t hound Westbrook for lighting the place on fire with his bombs.
Someone has to be in control for this team on the road, and make up for the incompetence they have with spacing, creativity, and veteran savvy.
All season long, that’s been Westbrook. Don’t expect it to simmer down in the future, even with his allies back.
**All statistical support credited to Basketball-Reference.com**