Westbrook = The Look of an Elite Superstar

[CTbasketball92]

OKC had zero business winning this game. No other player scored in double figures. He doesn't have a legit second or third option. CP3 has Blake Griffin and Redick and they were at home. Westbrook still won. He had 10 turnovers, but he literally did everything for his team, and he definitely would've had a triple double if any of his teammates played well offensively. I have no idea how much of this Russ can keep this up, but I can't see any other point guard doing so much with so little regularly. I think it might require all world athleticism and a ridiculous motor. It's only a regular season game, but I think you've got to sit down and think for about 10 minutes before you say any player but LeBron* is definitely better than him. Other players might fit into other systems more seamlessly, but Westbrook is a system in himself.

[HenryGarfunkle]

This was a bad game for him. :confusedshrug:

I'm thoroughly disappointed tbh. Too many sloppy turnovers. Again missed a bunch of shots he should've made. Forced bad shots near the end. (airballed a 3 with a minute left - :facepalm ) Wasn't as aggressive on the boards tonight.

Dropped 35/6/5 (with the 10 turnovers)

The takeaway is that the Clippers just aren't that good. They had nobody to step up and score... Griffin is a non-factor in clutch time.

While it's obvious he is the MVP, he needs to step up even further. This is the life Westbrook chose. He doesn't get any breaks or sugar coated remarks. Dude has got to step it up for my fantasy team.

[TiagoSimoes]

"I'm not kidding, I would sacrifice my firstborn if I knew it would help Russell Westbrook. I don't have children, I don't want them, they're shit and rarely give you anything in return except debts and depression. But if I accidentally got some bird up the duff I know I'd take that waste of space down the river and toss it in, if I knew somehow it could help Russell Westbrook.
Why?
Because if Russell Westbrook was on my team he'd do the same for me. He'd do anything to make sure we got the win, he'd shed every ounce of fat, every morsel of fear, every fibre of weakness all so that he could get us in a position to compete harder.
I believe in Russell Westbrook. I believe in what he is trying to do this season. I believe in what he represents. This isn't a game of basketball, this is a war. This is a man tasked with breaking the shadow of darkness. If you aren't with Russell Westbrook then you're evil. That's fine, you sit there and suckle on the teets of Lucifer, you bathe in the fires of damnation. Your maleficence will sting your heart eventually.
For those of us who see the light, we know Russell Westbrook is coming. We know he will prevail. We see that he, and only he, can guide us to the promised land.
God is dead, Russell Westbrook dunked on him. Start believing before he dunks on your bitch ass too."

[k0kakw0rld]

This was a bad game for him. :confusedshrug:

I'm thoroughly disappointed tbh. Too many sloppy turnovers. Again missed a bunch of shots he should've made. Forced bad shots near the end. (airballed a 3 with a minute left - :facepalm ) Wasn't as aggressive on the boards tonight.

Dropped 35/6/5 (with the 10 turnovers)

The takeaway is that the Clippers just aren't that good. They had nobody to step up and score... Griffin is a non-factor in clutch time.

While it's obvious he is the MVP, he needs to step up even further. This is the life Westbrook chose. He doesn't get any breaks or sugar coated remarks. Dude has got to step it up for my fantasy team.
Chill they are 4-0 and he is averaging almost a 33+ ppg triple double, just stop it...

[Bankaii]

Dude had 2x as many turnovers as assists and he still led his team past a top 5 team in the league.
Imagine is he slows down and started taking better care of the ball.
A lot of people are going to regret the "Westbrook is a loser without Durant" bs.

[TheCalmInsanity]

This was a bad game for him. :confusedshrug:

I'm thoroughly disappointed tbh. Too many sloppy turnovers. Again missed a bunch of shots he should've made. Forced bad shots near the end. (airballed a 3 with a minute left - :facepalm ) Wasn't as aggressive on the boards tonight.

Dropped 35/6/5 (with the 10 turnovers)

The takeaway is that the Clippers just aren't that good. They had nobody to step up and score... Griffin is a non-factor in clutch time.

While it's obvious he is the MVP, he needs to step up even further. This is the life Westbrook chose. He doesn't get any breaks or sugar coated remarks. Dude has got to step it up for my fantasy team.

Clippers' defense this year has been great. The 3 games they won before this game, their offense was garbage but they just limited the other team to terrible FG% and rebounded well.

They're missing layups, free throws, open 3's, open mid range shots.. I can't explain why. Maybe they're not doing shooting drills anymore? I have no idea. I hope they fix it soon.

[HenryGarfunkle]

Dude had 2x as many turnovers as assists and he still led his team past a top 5 team in the league.
Imagine is he slows down and started taking better care of the ball.
A lot of people are going to regret the "Westbrook is a loser without Durant" bs.
Then he wouldn't be Westbrook.

[HenryGarfunkle]

Clippers' defense this year has been great. The 3 games they won before this game, their offense was garbage but they just limited the other team to terrible FG% and rebounded well.

They're missing layups, free throws, open 3's, open mid range shots.. I can't explain why. Maybe they're not doing shooting drills anymore? I have no idea. I hope they fix it soon.
No doubt, they're a solid defensive team. They have size and good instincts. WB turned it over 10 times for a reason. Clipps are solid on that end.

[TheCalmInsanity]

No doubt, they're a solid defensive team. They have size and good instincts. WB turned it over 10 times for a reason. Clipps are solid on that end.

Yeah. It's trippy to see that when the Clippers lost a game, it's because of their offense. It's usually the other way around.

Take nothing away from OKC's defense, they played really hard defensively and had some crazy stops. But the Clippers have no excuse for missing open 3's and makeable shots/layups/free throws. Griffin, Paul, and Redick had terrible shooting nights, and some Clippers players that are good free throw shooters missed free throws. It's unexplainable at this point

[ClipperRevival]

Reminds me of MJ in terms of determination, motor, stamina, will to win and just sheer self belief in his talents. He is a force. And opponents can sense it too.

[theaussieguy]

both sh!tty teams. There are like 3 teams maximum every year that will compete for the title. The rest of the teams are just there for practice, clippers and OKC included. Such a huge waste of talent of all these superstars rotting on awful franchises that will never go anywhere. NBA needs to reduce the amount of teams because its becoming a joke.

[CTbasketball92]

Dude had 2x as many turnovers as assists and he still led his team past a top 5 team in the league.
Imagine is he slows down and started taking better care of the ball.
A lot of people are going to regret the "Westbrook is a loser without Durant" bs.


That's the thing, I think Westbrook's speed/motor enable him to do what he does. He just puts immense pressure on the defense, attacking them in transition. He's not a great shooter, but he's reliable enough to the point where he makes them at a decent clip and cant hit them when he needs to, like tonight. Slowing down would hinder him. His abilities and approach helped take OKC on deep playoff runs and has OKC 4-0 without a bunch of role players. His abilities allow him to do that, can't ask for him to have the jumper of steph, the IQ/Patience of CP3. What he has is arguably more effective (we'll see this year). Not many players are a literal force of nature like Westbrook.

[theaussieguy]

That's the thing, I think Westbrook's speed/motor enable him to do what he does. He just puts immense pressure on the defense, attacking them in transition. He's not a great shooter, but he's reliable enough to the point where he makes them at a decent clip and cant hit them when he needs to, like tonight. Slowing down would hinder him. His abilities and approach helped take OKC on deep playoff runs and has OKC 4-0 without a bunch of role players. His abilities allow him to do that, can't ask for him to have the jumper of steph, the IQ/Patience of CP3. What he has is arguably more effective (we'll see this year). Not many players are a literal force of nature like Westbrook.
I just googled it, to be considered a force of nature you need a 40+ inch vertical

[Spurs m8]

I stand with Russell Westbrook

[Rolando]

Reminds me of MJ in terms of determination, motor, stamina, will to win and just sheer self belief in his talents. He is a force. And opponents can sense it too.

Allen Iverson comes to mind as well. Very similar situation.

[Milbuck]

OKC had zero business winning this game. No other player scored in double figures. He doesn't have a legit second or third option. CP3 has Blake Griffin and Redick and they were at home. Westbrook still won. He had 10 turnovers, but he literally did everything for his team, and he definitely would've had a triple double if any of his teammates played well offensively. I have no idea how much of this Russ can keep this up, but I can't see any other point guard doing so much with so little regularly. I think it might require all world athleticism and a ridiculous motor. It's only a regular season game, but I think you've got to sit down and think for about 10 minutes before you say any player but LeBron* is definitely better than him. Other players might fit into other systems more seamlessly, but Westbrook is a system in himself.
kamil?

[GimmeThat]

I suppose we can say when a player that can perform at Westbrook's level and not ask for help does equate to the look of an elite superstar

but I also bet he's also already preaching and teaching his teammates in the locker room that he doesn't mind if they want to get better and leave or get traded

funny though, a player who isn't worried about his contract somehow looks like an elite superstar

yup, you can say basketball fanatiques are intrigued at what type of championship formula Russell Westbrook adds to the league

[!@#$%Vectors!@#]

kamil?


:roll: :roll:
http://mrwgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Baseball-Player-Tries-To-Hold-In-The-Laughter-During-Zoom.gif


http://67.media.tumblr.com/4589887e105f7ae491ea7aff7d766c08/tumblr_mt7zdsIpUM1rqfhi2o1_500.gif

[Prime_Shaq]

"I'm not kidding, I would sacrifice my firstborn if I knew it would help Russell Westbrook. I don't have children, I don't want them, they're shit and rarely give you anything in return except debts and depression. But if I accidentally got some bird up the duff I know I'd take that waste of space down the river and toss it in, if I knew somehow it could help Russell Westbrook.
Why?
Because if Russell Westbrook was on my team he'd do the same for me. He'd do anything to make sure we got the win, he'd shed every ounce of fat, every morsel of fear, every fibre of weakness all so that he could get us in a position to compete harder.
I believe in Russell Westbrook. I believe in what he is trying to do this season. I believe in what he represents. This isn't a game of basketball, this is a war. This is a man tasked with breaking the shadow of darkness. If you aren't with Russell Westbrook then you're evil. That's fine, you sit there and suckle on the teets of Lucifer, you bathe in the fires of damnation. Your maleficence will sting your heart eventually.
For those of us who see the light, we know Russell Westbrook is coming. We know he will prevail. We see that he, and only he, can guide us to the promised land.
God is dead, Russell Westbrook dunked on him. Start believing before he dunks on your bitch ass too."
Amen brother.

[theaussieguy]

OKC had zero business winning this game. No other player scored in double figures. He doesn't have a legit second or third option. CP3 has Blake Griffin and Redick and they were at home. Westbrook still won. He had 10 turnovers, but he literally did everything for his team, and he definitely would've had a triple double if any of his teammates played well offensively. I have no idea how much of this Russ can keep this up, but I can't see any other point guard doing so much with so little regularly. I think it might require all world athleticism and a ridiculous motor. It's only a regular season game, but I think you've got to sit down and think for about 10 minutes before you say any player but LeBron* is definitely better than him. Other players might fit into other systems more seamlessly, but Westbrook is a system in himself.

the problem is, defining the best in basketball is a very hard thing to do. You can look at individual accolades all you want, individual dominance or potential, but it really has limited impact on the overall success of a team if its hero ball kind of stuff. The reality is you can have the most optimal team built around westbrook possible, but the team will still be severely impacted by his style of play. A Ball dominant PG who is prone to turnovers... it has and always will be an incredibly hard formula to win with, and this is a reality you simply cannot escape from if you are to utilize the talents that Westbrook is given to their full extent, making it one of those catch 22 situations. I have no confidence that Westbrook will ever get a title being the main man. Ultimately it renders his entire style of play a bit of a lost cause, it doesn't equate to sh!t. There are no what ifs in this scenario, we all know what he can provide and we all know he will provide them until he runs himself into the ground. He is an amazing talent and a freak athlete but its ultimately futile to talk about him being one of the best players when his style of play will never EVER be conducive to winning a championship. Like yeah its great and all, he is beasting, he is putting up historic stats but who really cares when he will get blown out of the playoffs when fatigue sets in and those bull headed plays fall short and result in critical turnovers in the crucial minutes.

this isn't even hate its just truth.

[CTbasketball92]

the problem is, defining the best in basketball is a very hard thing to do. You can look at individual accolades all you want, individual dominance or potential, but it really has limited impact on the overall success of a team if its hero ball kind of stuff. The reality is you can have the most optimal team built around westbrook possible, but the team will still be severely impacted by his style of play. A Ball dominant PG who is prone to turnovers... it has and always will be an incredibly hard formula to win with, and this is a reality you simply cannot escape from if you are to utilize the talents that Westbrook is given to their full extent, making it one of those catch 22 situations. I have no confidence that Westbrook will ever get a title being the main man. Ultimately it renders his entire style of play a bit of a lost cause, it doesn't equate to sh!t. There are no what ifs in this scenario, we all know what he can provide and we all know he will provide them until he runs himself into the ground. He is an amazing talent and a freak athlete but its ultimately futile to talk about him being one of the best players when his style of play will never EVER be conducive to winning a championship. Like yeah its great and all, he is beasting, he is putting up historic stats but who really cares when he will get blown out of the playoffs when fatigue sets in and those bull headed plays fall short and result in critical turnovers in the crucial minutes.

this isn't even hate its just truth.

I never bought that for a few reasons. OKC was very successful in the playoffs every time he and KD were healthy,they just lost to historically great teams every time out. Considering their playoff performances, it was always debatable who was actually better than the other. It was like a Karl Malone/John Stockton situation, crept even more unclear who's better. The thunder probably could've beat a lot of teams, but 2016 GSW was just actually a better squad, and 2014 Spurs were almost as ridiculous. In 2014-2015, Westbrook was pacing to 46 wins without KD, which is easily good enough to make the playoffs and about as far as anyone not named lebron can take a team without a legit second option. So if you were to give Russ players that fit his style of play, like a bunch of shooters and a Kyrie Irving-esque elite, but one-dimensional closer, I think your team could win with Westbrook. Turnovers are a problem, sure, but I honestly think if Westbrook played on a team optimized to his talents, most teams would be blown out anyway before a game 7 anyway.


Every championship team needs multiple great players. I think Steph fits in seamlessly and can maximize more great, optimum offense teams than Westbrook, but for me, the tiebreaker is that Westbrook can still be the best player on any team or system and he can do a lot with very, very little. I just don't think any other currrent PG could do better. Like, with all of their shooters, I'm pretty sure Westbrook would've beat the cavs if he was in curry's situation, because we've never even seen Westbrook with great spacing. They'd have to respect his drive even more than they do now, and his jumper is solid enough.
If KD had just managed to hit shots like Kyrie did, OKC would've won. Westbrook played the biggest role in all their wins, but the reality is, he couldn't shoot. That's KD's job considering that Westbrook was averaging a triple double basically.

For me, it's mostly about circumstance. Give Westbrook some shooters and a
Another non-ball dominant player and he can win a chip too, and it's hard to say who's the better player in 99.5% of cases. Put Westbrook on the 09-2010 lakers they still win. Who was the best player on the '08 Celtics team?

[ClipperRevival]

Allen Iverson comes to mind as well. Very similar situation.

True. But being like 4 inches shorter and 30 lbs lighter meant AI was less able to impose his physical will on the game. WB plays bigger than 6'3". He rebounds like a 3, passes like a 1 and scores like a 2.

[AirBonner]

True. But being like 4 inches shorter and 30 lbs lighter meant AI was less able to impose his physical will on the game. WB plays bigger than 6'3". He rebounds like a 3, passes like a 1 and scores like a 2.
And the vertical leap of a turtle

[I.R.Beast]

This was a bad game for him. :confusedshrug:

I'm thoroughly disappointed tbh. Too many sloppy turnovers. Again missed a bunch of shots he should've made. Forced bad shots near the end. (airballed a 3 with a minute left - :facepalm ) Wasn't as aggressive on the boards tonight.

Dropped 35/6/5 (with the 10 turnovers)

The takeaway is that the Clippers just aren't that good. They had nobody to step up and score... Griffin is a non-factor in clutch time.

While it's obvious he is the MVP, he needs to step up even further. This is the life Westbrook chose. He doesn't get any breaks or sugar coated remarks. Dude has got to step it up for my fantasy team.

It was a sloppy game for both teams. Very awkward game. There were some passes where guys were just fumbling the ball and some passes where westvrook forced it to make a play in what was a stagnant night night. The 10 were bad but they were largely in part due Westbrook having to exhaust his scoring. He missed quite a few shots he'd normally and had to hoist a few bad 3s becasue of the shotclock and teammates being inept offensively last night. He took a poor 3 late that was low and short(was foul by paul on the attempt). The thing i love about westbrook is for every turnover he in that game he did something on defense to negate it. The thunder have potential to be awesome defensively. Goatbrook - Home Dipo, and A-Rob are serious business on the defensive end and Adams is the anchor.

However, this thunder team has a suspect bench. I see BD playing several guys in several different lineups trying to see who is going to show me something to carve out a role for this team. Someone other than Morrow needs to step up on the shooting. Morrow's minutes are going to be key, and the interntaional kid(abbregu or something) as well. But, the thunder need to get 3 and D guy who can replace Andre Roberson in the starting line up. He's killing them.

[ClipperRevival]

the problem is, defining the best in basketball is a very hard thing to do. You can look at individual accolades all you want, individual dominance or potential, but it really has limited impact on the overall success of a team if its hero ball kind of stuff. The reality is you can have the most optimal team built around westbrook possible, but the team will still be severely impacted by his style of play. A Ball dominant PG who is prone to turnovers... it has and always will be an incredibly hard formula to win with, and this is a reality you simply cannot escape from if you are to utilize the talents that Westbrook is given to their full extent, making it one of those catch 22 situations. I have no confidence that Westbrook will ever get a title being the main man. Ultimately it renders his entire style of play a bit of a lost cause, it doesn't equate to sh!t. There are no what ifs in this scenario, we all know what he can provide and we all know he will provide them until he runs himself into the ground. He is an amazing talent and a freak athlete but its ultimately futile to talk about him being one of the best players when his style of play will never EVER be conducive to winning a championship. Like yeah its great and all, he is beasting, he is putting up historic stats but who really cares when he will get blown out of the playoffs when fatigue sets in and those bull headed plays fall short and result in critical turnovers in the crucial minutes.

this isn't even hate its just truth.

I agree with this for the most part. In a vacuum, WB is obviously so special. But if we are talking about winning championships and having to beat elite teams and giving teams the ability to adjust over a 7 game series, and his BALL DOMINANT and TURNOVER PRONE style of play is not optimal. It might be enough for a few games and but elite teams will adjust. Like yesterday, it took the Clips to completely lay an egg for them to win.

Doing this in the regular season is one thing, with less physicality, less talented teams and no ability to adjust (which is huge). But playoffs is a different monster.

Having said all that, if he was on a STACKED team, I have no doubt he can still win. But I think in most scenarios, elite teams are balanced out pretty well and you need your superstars to perform at optimal levels to win a title.