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2017 NBA Playoffs Roundup, Day 11: Saying Goodbye To Westbrook, The Spurs’ Next Great Point Guard And ‘Ice-O Joe’ Arrives

ByGerald Bourguet|
April 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) reacts after he scores a basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half in game five of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
April 25, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) reacts after he scores a basket against the Utah Jazz during the second half in game five of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
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2017 NBA Playoffs
Apr 19, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) handles the ball on the perimeter during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Saying Goodbye To Westbrook’s Season

I’m 100 percent convinced no one will ever fully understand Russell Westbrook’s 2016-17 season, regardless of how the MVP voting shakes out. It was historic, unbelievable, fun, overrated, infectious and flawed all at once.

Unfortunately, his five-game playoff sting did nothing to clear things up, since every accomplishment was once again met with some kind of BUT.

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In Game 5, Russ didn’t get enough help from his teammates…BUT he once again took over to a degree that made people thoroughly uncomfortable when his shots stopped falling. He had a 38-7-7 stat line heading into the fourth quarter, BUT in the final period, he went 2-for-11 from the floor and 0-for-5 from three-point range.

Westbrook finished with 47 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, BUT he shot just 5-for-18 from three-point range, tying an NBA playoff record for three-point attempts — an absurd accomplishment for a guy who shot just 34.3 percent from downtown this season and 26.5 percent in the playoffs.

You could go on and on. He averaged a triple-double BUT sometimes padded his stats. The Oklahoma City Thunder won 47 games in their first year without Kevin Durant BUT that’s usually too few for an MVP and he didn’t trust his teammates. He was one of the league’s most clutch players all season, BUT he fell back into old habits in the fourth quarters that mattered the most.

Do we celebrate Russ being the first player in NBA history to reach 150 points, 50 rebounds and 50 assists through the first five games of a playoff series, or condemn him for dropping out of the postseason in five measly games against a fellow MVP frontrunner?

Do we accept that his teammates didn’t give him anything to work with on offense, or acknowledge that without their defense, his would’ve looked a lot worse?

Do we praise his triple-double average for the playoffs or mourn his 14-of-49 shooting and -23 plus/minus in fourth quarters during the series?

Do we enjoy his 20-point third quarter and his +12 plus/minus for the game despite his teammates being -18 in six minutes without him, or do we bemoan how that third quarter completely sapped his energy for the fourth as his teammates terrible body language grew more and more apparent?

Russell Westbrook is a warrior, a competitor and by all rights, a leading MVP candidate. He’s also not necessarily someone you’d want to play basketball with, unless by “play” you mean “stand around and marvel at his greatness.”

We may never understand Russell Westbrook’s 2016-17 season, and going home in the first round behind some big numbers certainly doesn’t help. At the very least, we can all agree it was entertaining as hell and bid it a fond farewell, because we will miss it now that it’s gone.