Mature Russell Westbrook rising to the occasion – NBA Feature Part 2
After beating the Miami Heat in the game-1 of the NBA Finals, Westbrook re-iterated as to how he likes to play the game.
“I just play my game. I only know one way, and that's stay in attack mode. I can't change now. It's gotten me to this point and it's good for our team,” said Westbrook.
He is right when he says that his game is working for him. Westbrook was in MVP charts this season, and has also been nominated for the U.S Olympic basketball team that will compete in the London Olympics later this year. The point
guard takes a huge sum from Thunder, but is paying them back in the NBA Finals.
Russell Westbrook has been criticised over the course of his career with the Thunder for trying to outperform his teammate Kevin Durant. The latter is a three time scoring champion and the biggest star in the Thunder line up. Westbrook’s
tendency to take so many shots in the game, sometimes even more than Durant, has been attributed to the fact that he tries to compete with KD on the court for the spotlight.
However, his teammate and a 15 year veteran to the NBA, Derek Fisher thinks otherwise.
“He cares about the team and the success of the team. He really is a winner and wants to be a winner. He gets a lot of discussion about whether he's trying to out-do Kevin or why he shoots more than Kevin. I don't think he's doing
anything intentional. I think he's just playing the game. He's setting up plays for teammates and that's always been something that's questioned, whether he was willing or able to do it," said Fisher.
Being a shoot first point guard, Westbrook is always balancing the two options he has on the floor, make a play or shoot the ball. And he allows the game to dictate that decision.
Durant is also comfortable with the role Westbrook has been assigned with the team and has no trust issues with his teammate.
Westbrook has also been known to be a bit of a hot head. In game 1 against the Heat, he got tangled up with Shane Battier under the Heat rim and smacked the ball up in the air to record his objection to the referee’s call. These
types of plays hurt the team, and unnecessary fouls or ejections can turn the complexion of games.
Miami do a great job of protecting LeBron James from any such confrontations, and James also keeps his cool during the game as he knows how important his presence on the court is for the success of the team. But Derek Fisher says
that Westbrook is learning as he plays the game and at the age of 23, cannot be expected to have the composure of a veteran. These are things that he will learn with time.
Westbrook is looking like a much improved player from last year’s playoffs. This is the next step in the natural progression of a star. Big things are in store for the young and athletic player of the game.
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