Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 reasons the season is over

3. Hero ball

Let’s get right to the good stuff: Russell Westbrook shot the ball 43 times in 43 minutes in Game 6. His 19 3-point attempts were the most in a playoff game in NBA history.

I repeat: The player who has taken the most 3-pointers in any playoff game ever is Russell Westbrook, who shot 29.8 percent from deep in the regular season and 35.7 percent for the series.

Some may argue that Westbrook had to take all those shots because it was the only way the Thunder could win. Anybody thinking reasonably should see it as a guaranteed way to lose. The chemistry of this team never came to fruition and Westbrook’s shooting spree is an admission of that.

Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony finished the series with two assists in about 194 minutes played. His season-high in a single game was four, which is a mark he only hit once. Anthony has always been an isolation player, but his diminished offensive role could have been a sign that he needed to pick up a new skill (passing).