Week in Review: What If

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The Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans have combined to play 162 games this season. Each team has just one game remaining. If the Pelicans win on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, they’re the eight seed. A Pelicans’ loss, coupled with a Thunder win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Thunder earn the privilege of facing the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

With the Thunder’s playoff hopes coming down to the final game, it’s hard not to go back and play the what if game with so many games. What if the Thunder don’t lay that egg against the Knicks in late January? What if Anthony Davis doesn’t make his miracle three-pointer a little over a week later in the Pelicans victory over the Thunder? What if E’Twan freaking Moore of the Chicago Bulls doesn’t hit the shot of his life to sink the Thunder in early march?

And this week, what if the Thunder don’t miss 17 free throws in the loss against the Pacers? What if Russell Westbrook’s technical foul on Sunday doesn’t get rescinded?

A different outcome in any one of the 162 games played by the Thunder and Pelicans, and the story may be entirely different.  A thousand other plays that could have twisted fate in another direction.

But it all comes down to what happens Wednesday night in Minneapolis and New Orleans. Fortunately, the Thunder had just enough plays go their way this week to stay alive.

THE GAMES

• Lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 88-113
• Beat the Sacramento Kings, 116-103
• Lost to the Indiana Pacers, 104-116
• Beat the Portland Trailblazers, 101-91

THE BEST PLAYER

Russell Westbrook. Barring something crazy (like Harden going for 60 or so points), Russell will take the scoring crown this year. Westbrook’s week had a lot to do with his likely scoring title, namely scoring a career-high 54 points against the Indiana Pacers. Overall, Westbrook averaged 34 points, on 50 percent shooting and 35 percent from three, and seven rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.

Interesting factoid, players from the same team have not won back-to-back scoring crowns since Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston of the then-Philadelphia Warriors in 1951-1952 and 1952-1953.

THE BEST PERFORMANCE

Russell Westbrook against the Indiana Pacers. That 54-point game. It was the epitome of the Russell Westbrook experience. He took 43 shots, which is the sixth most in a single game since 1985. In fact, in the last 30 years, there have been only 13 players who have had games with 43 or more attempts.

It’s justified that 43 shot attempts is the talking point, but it ignores that Russ really played under control for the most part. It seems silly to say that, but Russ had just two turnovers despite a 52 percent usage rate. He also had eight assists and nine rebounds. He shot 48 percent from the field, which is a great percentage for Westbrook who is a notorious inefficient scorer.

Loss aside. Shots aside. It was a career performance for Westbrook in a season of superlatives.

Honorable mention: After a disappointing performance against the Pacers, Enes Kanter bounced back against the Portland Trailblazers with a tidy little 27 point, 13 rebound game on 13-20 shooting.

THE BEST PLAY

Russ is an athlete. I mean, how did he find a way to turn DJ Augustin’s airmailed pass into two points?

Honorable mention: So that Augustin pass to Westbrook was a bit off the mark, but this sweet dish to Nick Collison deserves some props.

THE WORST PLAYER

Andre Roberson. Offensively, Roberson is a negative. His offensive stats this week are about what you’d expect, three points per game, just 20 percent from three. But you forgive his ineptitude offensively because he’s a net positive defender and a great rebounder. This last week, though, his defense was far from good. Per NBA.com/stats, opponents shot 78 percent from three when defended by Andre, and 61 percent overall. Yi-to-the-kessssss.

Not only that, but Roberson also failed the all-important eye test this week. Case in point, with Roberson spending most of his time guarding C.J. Miles, Miles erupted for a season-high tying 30 points. As evidenced in the GIF below, Miles just toasted Roberson.

THE WORST PERFORMANCE

DJ Augustin against the Indiana Pacers. Fifteen minutes, zero made field goals on five attempts, and one assist. Oh boy. He did have the highest +/- on the team though with a +2. Not sure what’s that about.

Dishonorable mention: Against the Blazers, Dion shot 4-21 with a variety of stepbacks and missed shots at the rim. His improved three-point shooting also failed him, as he went 0-5. Dion saved himself from the inglorious distinction of “worst performance” by being active in other facets (seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals).

THE WORST PLAY

I miss Perk. Picking the most head-scratching play of the week would be a lot easier if I had Perk around to take nine-step travels. Oh well.

Dion, though, picked up a little of the slack with this puzzling turnover.

Apparently Waiters is unfamiliar with the rule that when you possess the ball in the front court, you can’t inbound the ball wherever you want (except in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime).  I mean, I guess it’s kind of an obscure rule?

UP NEXT

• At the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00 p.m. (FSOK)
• Playoffs :) or draft :(

You can follow John on Twitter at @ajohnnapier. He won’t mind.