OKC Thunder: ‘The shot’ and the shade, Westbrook could learn from Lillard

OKC Thunder star Russell Westbrook made no bones about his rivalry with Blazers star Damian Lillard. In the end, Dame got the last laugh both on and off the court.

In retrospect, I wonder if OKC Thunder stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George regret their decisions to egg on the Blazers throughout Game 3 and punctuate it with an unnecessary end game dunk by PG that didn’t even count.

Given this squad loves the underdog role and tend to resemble the old school throwback of teams who thrived off making the opposing squads enemies, it’s unlikely they regret it.

In the modern era where players from opposing teams spend offseasons together working out, riding banana boats and comparing wine cellars the Thunder and specifically Russell Westbrook’s mindset is the outlier. In fairness, the man who’ll likely be this season’s Most Valuable Player (Giannis Antetokounmpo) also refuses to workout with peers.

As for the brewing contempt that clearly exists between Westbrook and Damian Lillard it’s hard to know if there was any specific situation which sparked the feud.

What we do know is Russ loves the competition and perhaps it’s that simple. Aside from talent, the two All-Star point guards couldn’t be more different. While Westbrook is blatantly in his opponent’s face rocking the baby and pounding his chest, Lillard is more of a stone cold killer. (albeit Dame’s fans – not so much).

That’s not to say Lillard won’t occasionally interact, point to his wrist referring to ‘Dame Time’ or mouth ‘Bombs Away’. The bravado is there to be certain but it’s far more nuanced. Well, perhaps not quite so nuanced following Tuesday’s win (not like anyone would blame him).

Chose your enemies wisely:

Generally, I’m all in for these on court battles. I miss the old school rivalries. My issue with this specific situation was the target. Reflect back on the years when Damian Lillard didn’t get voted in or coach selected to All-Star teams and recall what happened? Yeah, he would use that to fuel his stretch run assault. and offseason growth,

A  scan of Lillard’s Instagram highlights the type of insightful motivational messages which offer insight into his character.

So, when Russ took to shading Dame all season and throughout the series, something deep in my gut told me – this might be the one guy Westbrook shouldn’t take that stance with because it might backfire.

There were subtle hints Lillard wasn’t oblivious to Westbrook’s shade or that he’d let it go. His Game 1 shoes provided the first insight (hecklers get dealt with) he was keenly aware of the situation.

His Instagram the morning after the loss served up philosophical substance courtesy of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War quote.

‘The shot’ and knowing your opponent:

Following the game Paul George called ‘the shot’ a bad shot. Typically, George would be correct, but in this instance, he misses the boat. Rachel Nichols of ESPN’s The Jump noted of all shots taken from 30′ and out this postseason players are connecting at just 16 percent efficiency. Everyone that is except for Damian Lillard. In his 12 attempts from 30′ or further, he’s nailed eight of them for a gaudy 68 percent efficiency.

Perhaps George’s point takes on more credence given the time and situation. But, I’ll once again revert back to Billy Donovan either doubles Lillard or the Thunder should be aware that:

A) Dame is lights out from that range and

B) Know your enemy – meaning all of Russ and PG’s antics this season and in Game 3 are still clearly top of mind for Dame.

C) Again, as highlighted in Nichols ESPN clip,  in the history of the NBA, only five series have been ended with a clutch time walk off shot and Damian Lillard owns two of those shots! The first occurring in Game 6, May 2nd, 2014 versus Dwight Howard and James Harden‘s Rockets. Lillard made an eerily similar shot albeit not from quite as deep on the court and the shot was delivered with barely a second remaining rather than Dame calmly dribbling down the clock like Tuesday evening.

Moving Forward – there are lessons to be taken:

Since Westbrook is a throwback to an older era in terms of his ‘you’re either on my team or you’re an enemy’ there is an example to pull from. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson became best friends — eventually. But, that didn’t happen immediately. Nor did they have the exact same assets. Although both were incredible passers it was Magic who excelled at dishing dimes and it was Bird who was the better shot maker. The pair kept track of each other’s stats and learned what the other did in preparation each season to fuel their own development.

While there will be ample soul searching occurring over the summer and I would never suggest Russell Westbrook change his competitive edge. In this one instance, his peer Damian Lillard might be someone the Brodie could learn from.

More from Thunder News

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Take this summer to work on your shot with the goal of hitting from the perimeter at the league average. And commit to doing whatever is necessary to run an actual offense including incorporating the young shooters (we all hope Sam Presti will add this summer).

For as much as we love Westbrook for his commitment to every play of every game. Perhaps it’s time he backed off a few games a year so he could arrive at year end in better health and with the ability to deliver that type of aggression in the postseason on a nightly basis.

Westbrook made big strides this season to acquiesce to Paul George and his teammates which he should be given more credit for than he’s received. In truth, for a good portion of the series no one’s shot was falling (not even George) so Westbrook tried to take over and bail out the Thunder.

And, if George hits those two free throws at end game we’re not even having this conversation. But we are, and it’s good we are because it’s clear the Thunder need to address their personnel issues. More importantly, regardless of what the brain trust decide to do Westbrook needs to make some changes to improve his game and quite frankly how he approaches the game.

If nothing else, this humbling experience should offer Westbrook food for thought. Maybe – this rivalry can serve to fuel something deeper in Westbrook’s offseason preparation. Ultimately it’s up to him how he deals with this embarrassment and whether he recognizes only he can change the narrative.