We have all heard of good luck charms, but Russell Westbrook appears to have found one highly potent bad luck charm.
An interesting video from The Athletic’s “No Dunks” podcast went viral last month. The video identified seven separate instances this season in which the Los Angeles Lakers would go on to lose a game after Westbrook did his famous “rock the baby” celebration. There was also one instance where the Lakers actually won (against Detroit on Nov. 18) after Westbrook did the move. But that still made for (at the time) an ugly 1-7 record overall.
While the “rock the baby” move appeared to be absent from Westbrook’s repertoire over the ensuing few weeks, he brought it out again Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks. Westbrook scored on Mavs guard Frank Ntilikina in the fourth quarter and did his familiar rocking gesture.
Wouldn’t you know it, the Lakers went on to lose the game to Dallas in double overtime by the final score of 119-115.
It is possible that Westbrook has rocked the baby during other contests this season with less publicity. But we know for a fact that the Lakers now have at least eight losses in 2022-23 when the former MVP does that move.
Westbrook’s celebration is a way of taunting an opponent as being too tiny to defend him and is something that he has been doing for years now (even in big playoff moments). But the move clearly appears to have lost its luster during Westbrook’s Lakers era.
The 34-year-old Westbrook deserves credit for his stellar play of late. He led the Lakers with 28 points on Thursday and is now averaging a near-vintage 23.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 9.0 assists per night over his last five games. But the “rock the baby” taunt is one that Westbrook might just be better off leaving in 2019.
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