Russell Westbrook has been the media and fans’ whipping boy whenever anything goes wrong with the Thunder.
The criticism of Westbrook goes back to last season when the Thunder lost to the Mavericks in the playoffs. Many observers were watching the All-Star point guard play for the first time, and they were aghast that he didn’t play like a typical point guard. They couldn’t (and some still can’t) comprehend that Westbrook is an elite athlete whose specialty is getting to the hole and scoring, not passing.
Whenever things went wrong for OKC in the playoffs last year, the media and fans blamed Westbrook for not passing to Kevin Durant enough. The criticism has followed the same pattern this postseason.
After Oklahoma City’s Game 2 and 3 losses in the Finals, there were frequent calls for Westbrook to change the way he was playing. People lost their minds and forgot that Westbrook’s style helped the Thunder achieve the third-best record in the NBA and reach the NBA Finals. Once the...
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June 22, 2012
