OKC Thunder need Russell Westbrook and Paul George to fail immediately

If the OKC Thunder are to win a chip, superstars Russell Westbrook and Paul George must fail for an extended period, and it has to be now.

The OKC Thunder have been slowly building steam all season long and have won several thrilling games in the past couple months, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. With the playoffs approaching, peaking at the right time is all part of winning a championship. OKC’s remaining schedule will harden its team from top to bottom in preparation for a deep run that hopefully ends with the Thunder hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Russell Westbrook and Paul George, both MVP talents, are the unquestioned leaders of Oklahoma City. They bring consistent intensity and high-level performance to every game, and their supporting cast falls in line with its various roles with great success. However, this cannot be the only formula for team success.

Identity plays a huge role in how teams strategize and execute their gameplans, but what happens when that identity is compromised in key moments of crucial playoff games? As we saw against Denver, OKC is prone to mistakes on both sides of the ball in crunch time. The more exposure Oklahoma City have in clutch situations, the better they will be when the lights shine the brightest.

For several reasons, the Thunder’s best chance at winning a championship is if superstars Russell Westbrook and Paul George, recently dubbed “R-PG”, fail for several weeks. It can’t simply be the Brodie and PG-13 struggling to perform at their usual high levels, and it can’t be later. It has to be a mighty fail, it has to be for an extended period, and it has to be now. The Thunder’s chances at winning an NBA title might just depend on it.

Here’s why…