If it’s true that we tend to build up our sports heroes so we can then tear them down, then maybe we owe Russell Westbrook, if only for one night, the reverse. Most of us have demolished the man to the hilt, and after what he did in the Clippers’ Game 1 win over the Suns on Sunday night, it’s time to rebuild.
This was not a boxscore performance, which Westbrook will show off, as pretty much only he can, as he works his way to a 3-for-19 showing. And indeed, these were some classic Westbrook brick. An air ball masquerading as an assist. Scuds on the leading edge. Bullets on the backboard. Bloated bunnies. Westbrook’s shooting remains a huge problem, and it could prove too much for the Clippers to overcome over the course of this series if he doesn’t increase efficiency or decrease volume.
But at least for one night, Westbrook was so impressive in the unglamorous areas that we can definitely say there’s no way the Clippers can win this game without him. He was everywhere. He pressed and gave chase on the defensive end. He crashed relentlessly against the attacking glass. He forced pace.
Apologists tend to speak of Westbrook’s energy in euphemistic terms, such as when your friends ask if your Friday night date was attractive and you try to play the old deception game with a nod to their “great personality.”
Did Russ play well last night?
Uh, well, he played hard.
And if we’re being honest, Westbrook’s engine, while commendable, isn’t always a good thing. He gets into bad situations too often. He is mostly a turnover machine. He takes pictures he shouldn’t. His playing hard is usually only partly true. His offensive energy is relentless, yes. Defensively not so much.
In some ways, Westbrook looks like like he’s playing hard like a super smooth player, say a Stephen Curry or Devin Booker, Look like he isn’t. A lot of it is optics. Delve into the details, and Russ dies on screens and jogs around defensively like so many maligned others.
But that was not the case on Sunday night. This wasn’t just frenetic or situational Westbrook energy. This was disruptive, game-changing aggression for nearly every minute he was on the ground: 10 rebounds, including five offensive, eight assists, three blocks, and two steals. And don’t start looking for statistics. There are nights to take that. This was not one of them.
Check the defense on Kevin Durant:
In a one-point game with less than three minutes to play, Westbrook climbed the ladder and rocked a huge offensive board that led to the first of Kawhi Leonard’s consecutive three-pointers.
In the last minute, with Phoenix desperate for possession, Westbrook brought in another offensive board and disrupted a second string enough to knock the ball off a Phoenix player and out of bounds. It appears in the box score as a team rebound for the Clippers. It wasn’t. It was all Westbrook. The man was out all night and never let his shooting problems bleed into the workers’ columns.
Finally, with the Clippers holding a three-point lead, thanks to two clutches, free throws from Westbrook at the net, and the clock ticking down to 10 seconds left in the game, Devin Booker tried to go one-on-one with Westbrook and got stuffed . . Literal. Westbrook kept in touch with Booker throughout his drive, blocked his shot and then capped the range by throwing the ball off Booker before it went out of bounds.
“I told him during the game, ‘Your scoring isn’t that important. Don’t get frustrated with missing shots. You bring us much more than just scoring the basketball. Don’t let that affect your game,'” said Clippers coach Ty . Lue told reporters after the game. And he couldn’t have said it better. Westbrook couldn’t stand a chance to save his life on Sunday, and yet he ultimately saved the Clippers.