At the end of the Oklahoma City Thunder's Game 6 loss to the Denver Nuggets, it was the presence of Russell Westbrook on the floor that helped spur the Nuggets on to victory. The group of people that should be least surprised by this development would be Thunder fans.
Denver pulled ahead with a double-digit lead in the fourth, but the Thunder continued to threaten a comeback. With Russ on the floor, the Nuggets were able to hold on to their lead and escape with a victory to force Game 7.
Westbrook's clutch layup with Denver up nine with a few minutes to go was just one part of why his impact was so considerable on Thursday night. Russ also helped calm down a Nuggets team that was clearly playing a little frustrated and reckless down the stretch.
Again, long-time Thunder fans were far from surprised by this development. For as much hate as Westbrook has gotten over the years, he has consistently been one of the most reliable clutch performers over the course of his career, and Game 6 was just the latest example.
Westbrook is an underrated clutch-time performer
It hurt for fans in Oklahoma City to watch without a doubt, but it also probably felt pretty validating to watch a former franchise player do what he's been doing for so many years: Execute down the stretch of an important game.
Many have noted that the previous regime in Denver was divided on Russ and his impact. Former General Manager Calvin Booth and former Head Coach Michael Malone clashed on the value of playing him big minutes and down the stretch of big games.
Had both of those guys remained in their former positions, it's unclear whether Westbrook would have even been put in the position he's currently in to play as well as he has been. But now, he's reminding the world once again just how valuable he is.
Russ can make some boneheaded plays at times, it's true. But you can never question his effort and will to win, and both of those things came out during Denver's win on Thursday. It was tough for Thunder fans to watch their team waste a chance to close out their opponent, but at least a small piece of many within the fanbase was probably silently cheering on Westbrook on the inside.