Originally Posted by
Goat Milk
The facts are facts and Westbrook is one of the best players in the world and one of the top 15 players of this generation. The question is though, can he carry a team to a championship as the number 1 or number 2 player, and so far, it's been no. So far, Westbrook has really melted down in the playoffs almost every year of his career. I mean, just going off memory, I remember this guy making so, so many mistakes at the end of critical playoff games. I start with the years against Kobe. Then eventually when he got passed the Lakers and made it to the finals against Wade and Bron. Was put in check in the final moments of those games. That series was a 4-1 win by the Heat (btw Thunder were like -220 favorites or something), but almost every game was close. Then back to the WCF a couple of times. Playing GS and the Spurs I believe. That meltdown against GS was legendary. I'll never forget it. Durant did not play well either in game 6 and 7 but that was a rarity for him. He always played well in those other series'. Westbrook flat out....I couldn't believe what I was seeing. And I say that because I had such a large wager on OKC to win that series, at such good odds. And when they went up 3-1. I knew it was a lock. I knew no way Durant and Westbrook are gonna miss this chance. This is their year to win a ring, no way Lebron and Irving and Love will beat them. I firmly believed Durant and Westbrook were 2 of the 5 best players in the world, and that combination, like it was for Wade and Lebron, would win them at least 1 ring. Now was the time. Westbrook proved me wrong. And then he just continued to get worse in crunch time in the playoffs. Turnovers. Shooting contested 3s that wouldn't even be close. Then last year, against the Jazz. You seriously are gonna lose to a team with their best player being a ROOKIE? In the FIRST ROUND? With Paul George and Melo? Are you shitting me? I don't wanna hear it about Melo, because the Thunder are not any better this year without him! They're down 2-1 to a shitty ass Portland team that just lost an all-star calliber center.
Westbrook has had a great career, but we all know the system is designed for him to get triple doubles.
Maybe if everyone on that staff wasn't so scared of Westbrook, they could design a system that wins them rings... And that would definitely involve Westbrook getting less rebounds. You can see him cheating in the paint so many times instead of rotating to a guy on the perimeter and contesting a shot.
There was so many times at the end of those close playoff battles that Durant would demand the basketball and Westbrook would chuck it up or make a mistake.
In reality, every real basketball fan knows, Westbrook is the real reason Durant left OKC. He loved the guy like a brother, but he knew it was a lost cause. He couldn't win with him.