Behind Westbrook, Thunder send loud message in Game 4.
Russell Westbrook dominates with overall brilliant performance, outdueling Kia MVP Stephen Curry to give OKC a 3-1 lead.
OKLAHOMA CITY — You can always sense how Russell Westbrook and his team are rolling based on the decibel level of the primal scream, the emotional, energetic lava that Mt. Westbrook emits to punctuate a game-changing play or sequence.
And if you haven't noticed, the Western Conference finals are sounding, dare we say, Thunderous.
If the current temperature is real, and what we're seeing is not subject to change anytime soon, then the best player in basketball is Westbrook and the best team is his Oklahoma City Thunder, both of whom are doing a number on the reigning MVP and defending NBA champs. Yes, it appears Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are victims of identity theft. Or maybe they're just getting punched in the face.
After the Thunder's 118-94 romp in Game 4 gave them a 3-1 series edge, Oklahoma City is beating the Warriors in almost every phase possible: small ball, big lineup, up-tempo, half-court, protecting the ball and shooting it. At the center of it all is Westbrook, giving defenders whiplash, triggering the fast break with timely stops and steals, and enhancing his reputation at the expense of perhaps the league's marquee player.
"I thought my energy was good tonight," Westbrook said.
I play every game like it's my last, regardless of who's in front of me.
– Thunder guard Russell Westbrook
It wasn't merely good, it was turbo. Westbrook broke loose for 36 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in Game 4, evident of how he impacted the win in multiple ways. The flow and the pace is mainly being dictated by him, and the Warriors simply haven't kept up the last two games at Chesapeake Energy Arena. There was a moment where Westbrook scooped a loose ball, shook his man, pulled up for a 15-foot dagger and caused the building to shake. That was the cue for Westbrook to let loose, and he did, voice rising, fists balling, neck veins popping. It was The Scream, which registered louder than his eye-squinting postgame outfits.
"Russell just plays with incredible passion," said Thunder coach Billy Donovan. "He's got such a great force and great will, and he's also a really, really high IQ player. Just his effort and energy throughout the course of the entire game is terrific. As a coach, you sit there and have great respect and admiration for somebody that plays that hard and gives to the game and his teammates what he gives."
It's probably not lost on Westbrook that he's doing this against Curry. There is great mutual respect between point guards, the most acclaimed duo at their position in the league. But the man has pride, and Westbrook knows Curry owns what he doesn't: A Kia MVP award -- two, actually -- and most important, a championship.
Understand that great players are greedy. They want it all. And once they have the money, their attention shifts and becomes lasered on the jewels. Oh, and make no mistake, Westbrook is indeed among the greats, something that was lost on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in a temporary moment of insanity last month.
It isn't often when Westbrook gets dismissed, but a slight is a slight, and when Cuban insisted that Westbrook wasn't a franchise player, that surely made Westbrook burn. Again, he didn't address it -- loyal teammate and admirerKevin Durant came to the rescue with his now-memorable "he's a idiot" slap back at Cuban -- and really, the only way to answer anything is on the floor. That's where the otherwise stoic Westbrook picks his fights, and he couldn't have found a more worthy opponent than Curry and the Warriors.
Curry seems caught in one of those notorious Bay Area fogs. You can blame it on the knee injury he suffered in the first round and give him that pass, if you wish. Bottom line is Curry is hardly the player who steamrolled through the league over the last two seasons, and maybe Westbrook has had something to do with that. Curry shot 6-for-20 on Tuesday (2-for-10 from deep) and this came on the heels of his 7-for-17 (3-for-11 deep) Game 3.
In the two victories in OKC that enabled the Thunder to gain a vice-grip on the series, Westbrook almost averaged a triple-double with 33 points and nearly 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
In true Westbrook fashion, he downplayed the significance of playing against Curry in particular.
