Thunderous Intentions
Fansided

Five takeaways from the Thunder’s buzzer-beating loss to Timberwolves

By Tony Heim

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 22: Russell Westbrook
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 22: Russell Westbrook /
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – OCTOBER 22: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder goes for the layup during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – OCTOBER 22: Russell Westbrook #0 of the OKC Thunder goes for the layup during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22, 2017 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Russ’ final possession shows a completely new player

With the Thunder down 2 and only 10 seconds remaining, everybody was expecting Russell Westbrook to take the shot. And why wouldn’t they? Russ had 15 points in the last five minutes, only missing one of his attempts in that span. He was doing exactly what he had to last year; single-handedly win the game for his team.

But then something different happened. Westbrook burst off a Steven Adams screen to the rim. Russ drew a help defender, something we saw countless times last season. Instead of throwing up a contested shot with multiple defenders in his face, he made the right play, hitting Carmelo Anthony for a then game-winning shot.

That’s how we know Russell Westbrook truly is changing his style of play.

Westbrook did everything in his power last night to secure the dub. When his offense was sputtering he took matters into his own hands a la 2016-2017. But when the opportunity arose for an easier attempt, he passed up the personal glory for the greater good of the team.

This isn’t unfathomable for us Thunder fans – we’ve watched Russ nightly for the last ten seasons. Instead this particular takeaway is for those that doubt whether or not Westbrook’s ego can be set aside for the OK3.

Related Story: Player grades from Thunder’s loss to Timberwolves

It can. And it already has. 16 assists and 12 shots against the Knicks gave us an idea, but we needed to see how he performed in a crunch-time situation. Now we know exactly where his head is at: winning an NBA Finals > winning an MVP.

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