Westbrook and the Thunder can’t close the Bulls, 108-105
Two minutes and 41 seconds left. I wrote it down when it happened. The Thunder were up three, 100-97. How were their next five possessions going to go?
Russell Westbrook had just missed a tough 3 at the end of the shot clock, then came up with a crazy steal on the other end. The Bulls called timeout. There was 2:41 left, the Thunder had a lead, and they needed Westbrook to guide them home.
Out of the timeout, a clean 15 foot look for Serge Ibaka set up by Westbrook, left just short. Ibaka fouled Nikola Mirotic after he bit on a pump fake for the 58th time, and the Bulls cut the lead to one with 2:15 left.
Next possession, the ball inexplicably stuck, with Dion Waiters trying to run a side screen-and-roll with Ibaka that failed twice, and resulted in an off balance Waiters — the new official word for step-back — that clanged off the rim. Westbrook tried to tip it back, it got wedged, the Bulls won a jump ball, and Pau Gasol missed a good look from 15 feet.
Another poor Thunder possession, this one resulting in a couple resets of the pick-and-roll, and barely any passes. Westbrook tried a long 2, but left it short. Aaron Brooks missed a contested layup, and the Thunder had another chance for a dagger. Westbrook drew a foul, splitting free throws, but Enes Kanter put back the second miss, 103-99 with 1:07 left.
A tough 3 by Mirotic, and it was back to one with 59 seconds remaining. Westbrook popped a tough in-your-face long 2 on E’Twuan Moore, putting OKC up 105-102 with 37 seconds left. Ibaka fouled Mirotic after biting on the 59th pump fake, and it was back to one with 28 seconds left.
And this is the possession of the game, the possession that keeps the Westbrook narrative alive. Because he made the wrong choice. He didn’t trust his teammate, despite constantly pledging to do so more consistently in these situations. The five trips leading up to this? Not at all on Westbrook. This one though, it was on him to make a better decision.
The play design was good. A little misdirection pick-and-roll, with Ibaka coming up from the weakside to set a walk-back screen on Moore. The Bulls loaded to Westbrook, putting two on the ball, leaving Ibaka floating wide open to space on the right elbow. Westbrook saw him, there’s no question. But instead of making that right decision, he hesitated, and went on his own.
Now. Before anyone dare misunderstand me, because who knows, this might be someone’s first thing they’ve ever read of mine, no one stans harder for Westbrook than me. Even in the darkest days of Westbrook criticism, I stood tall on my hill, ready to die on it if I had to. Westbrook is a great player, and absolutely one that can help lead the Thunder to a title. I have no doubt about it.
But this is where he still has to grow. And he knows it, too. I promise you he’s going to watch this set in film tomorrow, raise his hand, and say my bad. Hell, he probably already knows it. He wasn’t selfish on the play. He wasn’t hogging for glory. He just got so wrapped up in the moment with tunnel vision on winning that he couldn’t bear someone else having the responsibility. It had to be him. He was going to be the hero, or be ready to accept the burden of losing.
This isn’t Scott Brooks’ fault. This isn’t really even Westbrook’s fault. This is just the institution that is Superstar Basketball, where the concept of heroism rules all. The Thunder have an obvious late-game flaw — they are afraid to let the ball get away from certain people’s hands. A lot of games, they win in spite of that, because the ball is often in some great effing hands.
Maybe Westbrook had a quick flashback to the jumper Ibaka had missed a minute earlier. Maybe he didn’t want to try and force a pass there when he had a switch with Mirotic. There are decent justifications, but the right play is the right play. And Westbrook made the wrong one. That doesn’t mean he had a bad game. That doesn’t mean he’s not a closer. That doesn’t mean he can’t win close games. It just means he has room to improve.
All of this is moot anyway if the Thunder don’t break down on the other end with four seconds left. Pau Gasol caught an inbound pass in the post, Westbrook gambled to double, leaving Moore open for a corner 3. Westbrook’s recovery was incredible, forcing Moore to shoot a high arching shot, but it found all net. It was part of a 36-point fourth quarter for the Bulls as the Thunder failed to string together stops with any consistency.
The Thunder’s final play with two seconds left was a hilarious dumpster fire. I don’t even know what the action was supposed to really be, because they were already handicapped not having Kevin Durant to launch fading away from 30 feet. They were clearly committed to getting Westbrook the ball at all costs, to which the Bulls knew, and Dion Waiters fed it to him in an impossible place, and Westbrook stepped out.
Brooks might have had a stellar set drawn up. Who knows. Bottom line is, the execution was comically bad, which is the theme with so many of these situations. The initial trigger gets stuffed and Westbrook runs to get the ball. The biggest mistake Brooks made was having Waiters as his inbounder. Maybe that was to guarantee he wouldn’t have a chance of taking the final shot, but Nick Collison is the appropriate choice there. Waiters should’ve called the Thunder’s last timeout, because even where he gave Westbrook the ball, there was nothing to do but heave off balance from 30 feet.
It’s one of those losses that’s going to dig at you for the next couple days as you relive and replay crucial possessions gone astray. The Thunder had this one, and gave it away.
NOTES:
- Westbrook: 43 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, 14-32 shooting. On the second night of a back-to-back that went into overtime.
- Serge Ibaka scored two points against the Sixers and bounced back with a strong game. He had 25 on 12-19 shooting with nine rebounds and three blocks in 46 (!) minutes.
- So many people griped about Brooks being consistently “outcoached” with Thibodeau’s out of bounds call. This is what you call confirmation bias. You only recall the failures. And not the many successes. Or if you do, you just say, “Oh, well Durant made a great shot” or “Westbrook made a great play.” You know what happened tonight? E’Twuan Freaking Moore made a great shot. So therefore, Brooks got “outcoached.”
- What these “plays” coaches are drawing up in crunchtime are supposed to do is let their great players make great plays. Coaches know they’re going to live and die by their stars. When Durant knocks down a fadeaway 18-footer, it grants Brooks a stay of execution for the night. When Durant misses, it’s Brooks’ fault for not dialing up the play that results in an uncontested layup.
- You know what I enjoyed about that seven-game winning streak? I didn’t get a SINGLE tweet or email about Scott Brooks. Literally not a one. But the Thunder lose one tight game on a rainbow 3 from E’Twuan Freaking Moore, and we’re back to square one.
- Enes Kanter wasn’t good again. Kanter’s last two games haven’t been pretty — 14 points, 11 rebounds. But I’m really not all that phased by it. He missed some easy looks inside and while he struggled defensively, it’s a rough two-game stretch. It is concerning that it looks like his feet are in concrete half the time.
- The Thunder missed Steven Adams badly, though. They could’ve used his size and strength on Pau Gasol.
- For some reason, I like to say “Enes Kanters” in my mind the way Key and Peele say “Liam Neesons.” Makes me chuckle quietly to myself.
- Here’s a stat that stupid people will run with: Westbrook is the first player with at least 30 shot attempts in four straight games since Kobe in 2006.
- D.J. Augustin is just such a massive pickup for the Thunder. Hit some big shots in the fourth.
- What was up with the missed charge to end the third? Couldn’t have been a more obvious call. My guess is ref Eric Dalen was caught ball watching the buzzer-beater.
- E’Twuan Moore scored a career-high 19 on 9-10 shooting because of course he did.
- Waiters was oof tonight. He was excellent last night, no doubt. But this was the famine to the feast.
- Steve Smith gushed the entire night like it was his first time ever seeing an NBA game. He acted like those were the best players he’s ever seen in his life. It was actually kind of refreshing.
Next up: Home against the Raptors on Sunday
