Westbrook had just delivered one of the most relentless NBA Finals performances, scoring 43 points while attacking the Miami Heat from every angle. He’d nearly single-handedly squared the series, almost giving the Thunder an improbable victory in the closing minutes. “A hell of a game,” LeBron James said.
Russell Westbrook scored 17 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter of OKC’s Game 4 loss. (AP)And yet for all of Westbrook’s brilliance, the Thunder didn’t win, falling 104-98 in a Game 4 decision that’s now left them a single loss from the end of their season. No glory on this night. Instead, Westbrook had to answer for the role he played in the stinging defeat. He’s one of the true game-changing talents this league has, but he’s also young and full of mistakes, and he committed a costly one in the game’s closing moments.
With the Thunder down three with 17.3 seconds left, Udonis Haslem and James Harden lined up for a jump ball. If the Heat retained possession, they would have just five seconds left on the shot clock. Westbrook never recognized that, and when Mario Chalmers tracked down the tip, Westbrook intentionally fouled him.
“Just a miscommunication on my part,” Westbrook said.
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins indicated the players were reminded about the shot clock. Harden said they weren’t. This much is certain: There was confusion on the court when the situation called for a clear head.
That job usually falls to the point guard. Of all the responsibility a point guard carries, the most important is knowing score and time. For that, Westbrook failed his team. When the Thunder needed him to show restraint, he once again rushed full speed ahead.
The Thunder didn’t lose the game because of that play. There was no guarantee the Heat wouldn’t have scored on the possession or even that the Thunder would have made a tying 3-pointer. But the mistake did show why the Thunder are sitting in a 3-1 hole: They’ve played to their age too often in this series. For all their talent, they just can’t get out of their own way. Against LeBron James, against these desperate Heat, brain-lock is fatal.
It’s in these moments when the Thunder also must remind themselves: As dominant as their point guard has become, he’s still so young.
The Finals have shaped up as a referendum on Westbrook, but he’s among the least of Oklahoma City’s problems. His performance in Game 4 merely reemphasized how big a mistake it was for Brooks to sit both him and Kevin Durant in the third quarter of Game 3 as OKC’s 10-point lead shriveled. Brooks’ substitution patterns again came under fire Tuesday – this time from his starting center. Perkins questioned why Brooks went away from the group that built a 17-point lead in the first quarter – a group that, coincidentally, included Perkins.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Perkins said.
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins indicated the players were reminded about the shot clock. Harden said they weren’t. This much is certain: There was confusion on the court when the situation called for a clear head.
That job usually falls to the point guard. Of all the responsibility a point guard carries, the most important is knowing score and time. For that, Westbrook failed his team. When the Thunder needed him to show restraint, he once again rushed full speed ahead.
The Thunder didn’t lose the game because of that play. There was no guarantee the Heat wouldn’t have scored on the possession or even that the Thunder would have made a tying 3-pointer. But the mistake did show why the Thunder are sitting in a 3-1 hole: They’ve played to their age too often in this series. For all their talent, they just can’t get out of their own way. Against LeBron James, against these desperate Heat, brain-lock is fatal.
It’s in these moments when the Thunder also must remind themselves: As dominant as their point guard has become, he’s still so young.
The Finals have shaped up as a referendum on Westbrook, but he’s among the least of Oklahoma City’s problems. His performance in Game 4 merely reemphasized how big a mistake it was for Brooks to sit both him and Kevin Durant in the third quarter of Game 3 as OKC’s 10-point lead shriveled. Brooks’ substitution patterns again came under fire Tuesday – this time from his starting center. Perkins questioned why Brooks went away from the group that built a 17-point lead in the first quarter – a group that, coincidentally, included Perkins.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Perkins said.
Thunder center Kendrick Perkins indicated the players were reminded about the shot clock. Harden said they weren’t. This much is certain: There was confusion on the court when the situation called for a clear head.
That job usually falls to the point guard. Of all the responsibility a point guard carries, the most important is knowing score and time. For that, Westbrook failed his team. When the Thunder needed him to show restraint, he once again rushed full speed ahead.
The Thunder didn’t lose the game because of that play. There was no guarantee the Heat wouldn’t have scored on the possession or even that the Thunder would have made a tying 3-pointer. But the mistake did show why the Thunder are sitting in a 3-1 hole: They’ve played to their age too often in this series. For all their talent, they just can’t get out of their own way. Against LeBron James, against these desperate Heat, brain-lock is fatal.
It’s in these moments when the Thunder also must remind themselves: As dominant as their point guard has become, he’s still so young.
The Finals have shaped up as a referendum on Westbrook, but he’s among the least of Oklahoma City’s problems. His performance in Game 4 merely reemphasized how big a mistake it was for Brooks to sit both him and Kevin Durant in the third quarter of Game 3 as OKC’s 10-point lead shriveled. Brooks’ substitution patterns again came under fire Tuesday – this time from his starting center. Perkins questioned why Brooks went away from the group that built a 17-point lead in the first quarter – a group that, coincidentally, included Perkins.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Perkins said.
Johnny Ludden
