OKC Thunder naughty list: Top 5 enemies of Russell Westbrook

3. Utah Jazz

The Thunder and Jazz have developed quite a rivalry the past calendar year, and it doesn’t appear things will simmer down anytime soon. To both team’s credit, there hasn’t been any sign of dirty play throughout. In my opinion, all of the emotion bubbling over was simply a result of two competitive teams going at it.

Aside from playing in the same division, there wasn’t much of a history between Utah and OKC prior to the playoffs last year. That all changed when the Jazz frustrated OKC in a highly-competitive playoff series, featuring hard-nosed defense, several near fights and even fans getting involved in the frenzies.

As unfortunate as it was for the Thunder, Utah deserves a lot of credit for pulling off the upset. And I’m not personally upset with the Jazz or their fans, although that doesn’t mean I particularly like them. Even though Utah’s fans chanting “Push-off P” was a little off-putting, the only real issue I had was with the one fan who got personal with Westbrook.

Everything else that transpired is exactly what I would expect coming from a loss in a playoff series. Even still, the Thunder appeared to be taking it personally in the win over the Jazz last week, and will likely try to send the message again on Saturday.