OKC Thunder naughty list: Top 5 enemies of Russell Westbrook

4. Zaza Pachulia

As if the Thunder didn’t have enough reason to be upset with the Warriors, Zaza Pachulia upped the ante in 2017 by sending Westbrook to the deck then standing over him. Westbrook and his teammates didn’t have much to say in the moment, but things continued to progress.

OKC and Golden State met again the following year, and Pachulia continued to press his luck. Over the course of the game, he fell on Westbrook’s knee and hit Paul George‘s on a pair of flops. This, to me, is bigger than the beef with Embiid because it was physical. Not only that but to go after knees is simply uncalled for.

Westbrook and George aren’t the only ones on Pachulia’s hit list, as he is known around the league as being a dirty player. Now with the Piston’s, Pachulia continues to hunt targets and probably won’t ever change his ways. Why any team would want such a player is beyond me.

OKC already played the Pistons once earlier this month and will face off again in April. If we make it through the end of this year without Pachulia getting suspended, I will be surprised. In the meantime, let’s just hope the Thunder beats Detroit again to get the season sweep and make it out unscathed.