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Saturday, March 07, 2026
Russell Westbrook Exposes the Low Barriers to Entry for Media Members
If you believe the headlines--and I would caution against believing any headline from any source--Russell Westbrook "goes off," "blasts" the media in an "agitated" way, makes "fiery" comments, and "fires back" at media members. After Westbrook's Sacramento Kings lost 133-123 to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, Westbrook spoke to the assembled media for a little more than six minutes. You can judge for yourself the tone and tenor of Westbrook's comments by watching this video (and if the video does not play on your device or if the video is subsequently taken down, you can find another
link to the video without much difficulty):
Note that Westbrook did not raise his voice, did not use profanity, and did not personally insult anyone. He asserted that media members who cover the Kings make unfounded statements about him, his teammates, and his team without proper "context," and he challenged specific media members to repeat those unfounded statements to his face. One of the media members singled out by Westbrook is Matt George, who does a Kings podcast. George declined to address Westbrook's concerns at the press conference, and then after the press conference he did a podcast about the situation followed by making the rounds at various media outlets to defend himself and repeat his hope that Westbrook is not on the team next season. There are many words to describe a man who declines to address another man face to face only to speak about him behind his back, but I'll stick with a family-friendly word: coward.
It is not Westbrook's fault that the Kings are having a horrible season. He is playing hard, and he is playing well. The Kings have been a dysfunctional organization for quite some time.
Mike Brown won the Coach of the Year award in 2023, and then the Kings fired him in 2024 to
hire Doug Christie, who had no prior head coaching experience at any
level and who is coaching the Kings about as well as one would expect
from someone who has no prior head coaching experience.
Westbrook is an all-time great being covered by hacks who accuse him of padding his stats by "stealing" rebounds, a false notion that is unsupported by the numbers. Justin Termine admits that he is "an entertainer, not a journalist,"
and after listening to him I agree that he is not a journalist but I question how entertaining he is. Termine recently asserted that
Westbrook has spent his career accumulating individual statistics that
do not correlate with team success. Termine calls himself a basketball
historian, but he apparently does not realize how rare it is for a team to reach the Western Conference Finals four times,
as the Oklahoma City Thunder did (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016) with Kevin
Durant and Westbrook leading the way. Westbrook was an All-NBA Team
member in three of those four seasons, and would have made it in all
four had he not been limited to 46 games in the 2014 season (he averaged
26.7 ppg, 8.1 apg, and 7.3 rpg during that playoff run to reaffirm his
All-NBA status).
A major cause of the low quality of media coverage is the low barrier to entry for the profession, a topic that I have mentioned before but is worth discussing in greater depth. I speak from personal experience because I spent seven years as a credentialed reporter in NBA media rooms, so I
saw firsthand how news is gathered, how narratives are manufactured, and
how often incompetent media members ask ridiculous questions. Before I became a credentialed reporter, I devoted myself to learning the NBA game, learning pro basketball history, and honing my writing skills, but I found out--to my horror--that obtaining credentials and getting writing assignments has much less to do with what you know than who you know. This is in marked contrasted to other professions and endeavors. For example, in the 1990s, I was an ACE-certified personal trainer, in 1995 I earned the U.S. Chess Federation's Expert title, and in 2016 I became an actively licensed attorney.
To become a certified personal trainer, you must pass a certification exam.
To become a chess Expert (top 3% of all chess players in the United States), it is necessary to earn 2000 rating points in officially sanctioned tournaments.
To become an actively licensed attorney, you must score high enough on the LSAT to be admitted to law school, you must graduate law school, and you must pass the bar exam. To maintain actively licensed status, you must earn continuing education credits.
You cannot become a certified personal trainer, a chess Expert, or an
attorney based on your connections; to achieve each of those status
levels, you must meet objective standards.
In contrast, anyone who knows the right person can show up at a sports event as a credentialed reporter. There is no education requirement and no competency requirement. Reread those two sentences, and then you will understand why the quality of media coverage is generally low--and I am not just speaking about NBA media coverage: the Wall Street Journal's chess coverage is embarrassingly bad, the general coverage of the World Chess Championship is pathetic, and political coverage is riddled with agenda-driven bias and misinformation.
The media members who hate Westbrook and slander Westbrook do so not only because they are incompetent but because they are outraged that he is not afraid to expose them as unqualified hacks. Westbrook is not feuding with Hubie Brown or Tim Legler or Doris Burke or any competent NBA commentator; he is feuding with people who are unqualified to do their jobs. There is a major
difference between objectively being one of the greatest basketball
players of all-time versus having a media platform because you know a
guy who knows a guy; deep down, these media members know their real
value and their real level, and they resent being reminded of those
truths.
Russell Westbrook is a real man who works hard every day without making excuses. He is loyal to his team and to his teammates, even when that loyalty is not returned. He is not afraid to call out anyone's nonsense. There is a cliche suggesting that one should never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel (or, in today's parlance, have unlimited access to multimedia platforms)--but Westbrook does not think about his protecting his image or trying to be popular: he protects his teammates, and he challenges media members who ask dumb questions and who make unfounded assertions.
Westbrook deserves better media coverage than he receives--and, as the listening and viewing public, we deserve better media coverage than the slop that is provided to us.
You would not know this from following many of the mainstream NBA media outlets, but 37 year old Russell Westbrook is having an excellent, resurgent season following an offseason during which it appears that the only offer he received was a non-guaranteed, one year veteran minimum deal from the Sacramento Kings; that is the type of contract given to a fringe player whose ability to perform as a rotation player at the NBA level is questionable at best, not to a future Hall of Famer who is still a very good player.
Westbrook is averaging 14.0 ppg, 7.2 apg, and 6.8 rpg in 25 games this season, including 15.1 ppg, 7.7 apg, and 7.6 rpg in 19 starts. It is not his fault that Sacramento's highest paid and highest profile players are terminally allergic to playing good defense, nor is it his fault that the Kings appear to be outmatched at coach more often than not in the wake of last season's decision to fire two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown.
Instead of stories documenting how well the unwanted Westbrook is playing at this advanced stage of his career, we are inundated with hot takes about how terrible it is that the L.A. Clippers cut the disgruntled and unproductive Chris Paul.
Media members have created a distorted narrative in which triple doubles are significant unless they are posted by Russell Westbrook. Westbrook became the all-time triple double leader in 2021, and he has normalized all-around greatness to the extent that he is punished for being a statistical unicorn. Every other NBA player who has a unique form of greatness is praised for that uniqueness--think of Stephen Curry's record-breaking three point shooting--but Westbrook's greatness is not only dismissed; it is often mocked.
Russell Westbrook is One of the Few Brights Spots in an Otherwise Dark Season for the Sacramento Kings
Russell Westbrook has been one of the few bright spots and high energy performers during a dark and dismal season for the Sacramento Kings. He had a team-high tying 21 points on 9-16 field goal shooting along with a game-high 11 assists, six rebounds, and just one turnover in Sacramento's 128-123 November 22 win versus the 12-4 Denver Nuggets. Westbrook scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a clutch fadeaway jumper with 36.1 seconds remaining to put the Kings up, 123-117. He also had three rebounds, two assists, no turnovers, and a +6 plus/minus number in the final stanza, and he was the only player on either team who played all 12 fourth quarter minutes.
Westbrook had a -13 plus/minus number overall for that game, and his plus/minus number for the season (through November 28, 2025) is -137, but the context for his season plus/minus is that the team's three big name starters--Domantas Sabonis (-159), DeMar DeRozan (-185), and Zach LaVine (-212)--have the team's three worst plus/minus numbers. It is fair to infer that their desultory performances are dragging down Westbrook's plus/minus number during the time that he shares the court with them, while Westbrook is providing a spark when he plays in other lineups.
The larger point regarding Westbrook is that it appears that Sacramento was the only team interested in signing him during the offseason, and he signed a signed a non-guaranteed veteran minimum one year deal for $3.6 million to join the Kings. Per HoopsHype, Westbrook's 2025 contract is tied for 299th in the NBA. Earlier this season, Westbrook extended his career triple double record while also breaking Jason Kidd's ABA/NBA career record for most rebounds by a guard. Through 19 games (he has started 13 of those games), Westbrook is averaging 14.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 6.4 apg. His rebounding average is his highest since 2021-22, and his three point field goal percentage (.390) is a career-high. Among players who have participated in at least 12 games, Westbrook ranks third on the Kings in scoring, first in rebounding, and first in assists. Signing Westbrook is one of the few smart decisions made by an otherwise dysfunctional franchise that should not have fired coach Mike Brown and should not have attempted to build "Chicago Bulls West" with LaVine and DeRozan.
There are several teams lacking solid point guard play that are regretting--or should be regretting--not signing Westbrook, particularly considering that he was available at a bargain basement price. For example, the disappointing Dallas Mavericks rank 27th in field goal percentage, 28th in the NBA in assists, and 29th in scoring in no small part because they do not have a competent point guard on the roster; their point guard situation is so desperate that coach Jason Kidd--one of the NBA's all-time greatest point guards and thus someone who understands the requirements to play that position well--has resorted to playing rookie forward Cooper Flagg at point guard rather than rely too heavily on the nominal point guards on the roster, including the inconsistent D'Angelo Russell. It should be obvious to any qualified basketball talent evaluator that Westbrook is a better player and better point guard than Russell, but Dallas' recently fired chief talent evaluator Nico Harrison thought that trading prime Luka Doncic was a great idea, so it is not surprising that he chose D'Angelo Russell over Russell Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook Extends His Career Triple Double Record While Setting Career Rebounding Record for Guards
On Wednesday night, Russell Westbrook extended his NBA career triple double record by notching his 205th regular season triple double as his Sacramento Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors, 121-116. Westbrook scored 23 points on 9-13 field goal shooting while grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds and dishing for a game-high 10 assists. Westbrook's new teammate Malik Monk is thrilled by Westbrook's contributions, particularly since Westbrook became a starter for the Kings: "We needed it bad. Especially in the starting unit. I feel like for
the last few years, we've been starting games pretty bad. With him going
to the starting unit, it brings more oomph, more energy."
This season, Westbrook--who will turn 37 on November 12--is averaging
15.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 5.6 apg, and 1.4 spg with shooting splits of
.468/.432/.727 while starting four out of eight games. Westbrook signed a non-guaranteed veteran minimum one year deal for $3.6 million to join the Kings. Per HoopsHype, Westbrook's 2025 contract is tied for 299th in the NBA.
Westbrook plays hard, which should be a given for professional athletes but is often not the case. He teamed with Kevin Durant to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals, and to Western Conference Finals appearances in three other seasons. After Durant fled the Thunder to join the stacked Golden State Warriors in 2016, Westbrook did not pout and he did not demand a trade; he led the Thunder to three straight playoff appearances before being traded to Houston in 2019. Westbrook should get a special award for averaging a triple double while leading the Washington "Wheeze-hards" to the 2021 playoffs, the team's only postseason appearance between 2018 and 2025.
Some players seem to be in the NBA just for the money and the fame, but Westbrook seems to love not just playing basketball but competing as hard as he can for as long as he can.
Thunder Crush Nuggets 125-93, Advance to Western Conference Finals
The Denver Nuggets won game six at home to push the Oklahoma City Thunder to the brink, but the Thunder dominated game seven, 125-93, to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander authored another exceptional performance, pouring in a game-high 35 points (just three short of his playoff career-high) on 12-19 field goal shooting while dishing out four assists. Jalen Williams, who struggled for significant portions of this series, scored 24 points and passed for a game-high tying seven assists. Chet Holmgren added 13 points and a game-high tying 11 rebounds. Alex Caruso chipped in 11 points on 5-7 field goal shooting, but his game-high +40 plus/minus number hints at the large impact that he had beyond the boxscore numbers: he was a menace as an on-ball defender versus Denver's perimeter players, he swarmed the passing lanes as a help defender, and on several possessions he even guarded Nikola Jokic one on one.
Jokic had a solid game by normal human standards--20 points, nine rebounds, game-high tying seven assists--but the Thunder's suffocating defense shut down his teammates without giving him the space to do much damage as a scorer. Jokic had a game-high five turnovers, and it often looked like the
Thunder had an extra defensive player on the court; the Nuggets
struggled to complete a pass, and they shot just 33-84 (.393) from the field, including 10-45 (.222) from three point range. Christian Braun scored 19 points on 7-14 field goal shooting. Aaron Gordon limped through a grade two hamstring strain--Jokic said that he told Gordon to not play because he risked making the injury even more serious--to finish with eight points and a game-high tying 11 rebounds. Jamal Murry had just 13 points on 6-16 field goal shooting. No other Nugget scored more than six points, and it is worth noting that Gilgeous-Alexander outscored the Nuggets' top two players--Jokic and Murray--by himself.
Russell Westbrook is the eighth highest paid Nugget ($3.3 million, the minimum salary for a 10 year veteran), but the "experts" and the
social media crowd will no doubt find some way to pin the loss on him.
I've never heard of a team's eighth highest paid player being the
deciding factor between winning and losing as the fourth seeded team versus a dominant top seeded 68 win
team, but ridiculous anti-Westbrook narratives have become standard fare
in NBA circles. For the series, Westbrook ranked fifth on the team in scoring (9.9 ppg), eighth in rebounds (2.7 rpg), sixth in minutes played (22.7 mpg), and tied for fourth in assists (2.4 apg). He has always been a rhythm player who is used to having the ball in his hands, so those numbers are in line with his role and his salary slot. His shooting splits (.348/.219/.696) were poor, but only three Nuggets who played rotation minutes shot better than .440 from the field (Nikola Jokic, Julian Strawther, Aaron Gordon) so the Thunder deserve credit for shutting down the Nuggets' offense. Westbrook averaged 11.7 ppg in the 2025 playoffs (fifth on the team) while contributing 2.6 apg (fourth), 3.7 rpg (sixth) and .9 spg (fourth) with .391/.317/.700 shooting splits. Westbrook has a player option for $3.5 million next season, and it is unlikely that the cash-strapped Nuggets can find a more productive player at that price.
The Thunder outscored the Nuggets 64-42 in the paint, 27-14 on the fast break, and 37-7 in points off of turnovers. The Nuggets jumped out to a 21-10 lead at the 5:31 mark of the first quarter before the Thunder reeled them in and then ran them into the ground; the Thunder ended the second quarter with a 28-14 run to take a 60-46 halftime lead, and the Thunder opened the third quarter by outscoring the Nuggets 21-12 to end all resistance. The Thunder pushed the margin as high as 43 points late in the fourth quarter, and the outcome was never in doubt throughout the second half.
The Nuggets used their size to dominate the paint in a 121-119 game one win to seize homecourt advantage, and the Nuggets led the series 2-1 after prevailing 113-104 in game three but, as is usually the case in a seven game series, the team with the most matchup advantages prevailed. I picked the Thunder to win in six games because I expected that the Thunder's "suffocating defense will rule the day," and even though it took the Thunder seven games instead of six the seventh game highlighted the huge gap between these teams: the Thunder have the right personnel and game plan to at least contain Jokic at times, while the Nuggets can barely run a functioning halfcourt offense versus the Thunder's relentless pressure. ESPN's Scott Van Pelt often referred to the Thunder as a "wagon" during the regular season, but in game seven the Thunder looked like a high speed train racing past a broken down jalopy.
Denver can win if…they bully the Thunder in the paint and slow down the Thunder's transition game. Nikola Jokic followed up his MVP-level regular season (29.6 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 10.2 apg) by averaging 24.0 ppg, 11.6 rpg, and 10.1 apg as the Nuggets outlasted the L.A. Clippers in seven games; only three players have averaged a triple double for an entire postseason: Oscar Robertson (1962, four games), Jason Kidd (2007, 12 games), and Russell Westbrook (2017, five games; 2021, five games). In order to beat the Thunder, the Nuggets will not only need triple double production from Jokic but they will also need their frontcourt of Jokic, Aaron Gordon (18.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg versus the Clippers), and Michael Porter Jr. (10.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg versus the Clippers) to do a lot of damage in the paint.
How a team scores can often be as important as how much a team scores; by scoring in the paint, the Nuggets can control the tempo of the game to limit the Thunder's easy transition scoring opportunities while wearing down the Thunder's players, putting the Thunder's players into foul trouble, and creating more scoring opportunities from the free throw line by getting into the bonus. If the Nuggets are lured into an up and down game then the Thunder will run them out of the gym because the Thunder are a more athletic and deeper team.
Russell Westbrook, who won the 2017 regular season MVP while playing for the Thunder, could play a key role in this series because of his athleticism and his ability to attack the paint. He averaged 13.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, and 1.3 spg versus the Clippers.
On paper, this series is a mismatch in the Thunder's favor based on each team's overall statistics this season, but head to head these teams have been evenly matched for quite some time; it is not just
their head to head record this season that is tied: Denver and Oklahoma
City have split their last 16 games versus each other. Of course, the
caveat for that statistic is that many of those games were played when
Oklahoma City was tanking and the Nuggets were a championship team or at
least a championship contender.
If the Nuggets play at their absolute best and the Thunder drop off in any way then the Nuggets could win this series, but the Thunder have a much larger margin for error.
Oklahoma City will win because...their suffocating defense will rule the day. During the regular season, the Thunder led the NBA in points allowed (107.6 ppg), defensive field goal percentage (.436), and turnovers forced (17.0 tpg). They also led the league in fewest turnovers committed (11.7 tpg) while ranking a solid 11th in rebounding (44.8 rpg); they dominate the possession game and then they use their possessions efficiently, ranking fourth in scoring (120.5 ppg) and seventh in field goal percentage (.482). In their first
round sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Thunder forced 77 turnovers
while only committing 42 turnovers, and they held the Grizzlies to .415
field goal shooting, including .304 from beyond the arc.
Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 27.8 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5.0 rpg, 1.3 spg, and 1.0
bpg during the first round. The presumptive regular season MVP shot
poorly from the field (.402), but still had an impact at both
ends of the court. Jalen Williams, who made the All-Star team for the
first time, averaged 23.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 5.3 apg during the first
round. Chet Holmgren averaged 18.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, and a team-high 2.8
bpg. Isaiah Hartenstein made his presence felt in the paint with 9.0 ppg
on .640 field goal shooting plus a team-high 8.8 rpg. Lack
of size was an issue for the Thunder during last year playoffs, but does not seem to be a
problem this season after the addition of Hartenstein.
Other things to consider: This series features two of the three finalists for regular season MVP honors: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic (the third is Giannis Antetokounmpo). The winner will likely be announced while the series takes place. In 1995, San Antonio's David Robinson was announced as the regular season MVP and then was later torched by Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon (the 1994 regular season MVP) in the Western Conference Finals: Olajuwon averaged 35.3 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, and 4.2 bpg while primarily being covered one on one by Robinson, who averaged 23.8 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, and 2.2 bpg as Houston won 4-2 en route to capturing the second of back to back NBA titles.
Jokic won the 2024 regular season MVP--his third such honor in a four year span--with Gilgeous-Alexander finishing second, and that order will likely be switched this year in light of the Thunder's record-setting season. Unlike Olajuwon and Robinson, Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander will not battle each other one on one in this series (except for occasional defensive switches), but this series will nevertheless be viewed historically as a referendum on the 2025 regular season MVP voting. The reality is that Jokic and Gilgeous-Alexander are both worthy candidates, just as Olajuwon and Robinson were in 1995. In 1995, Olajuwon was already an NBA champion who was about to win his second NBA title, while the nearly three years younger Robinson won both of his NBA titles several years later (1999, 2003). Jokic is a little more than three years older than Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jokic won the NBA championship in 2023, while Gilgeous-Alexander has yet to win an NBA title.
In my 2025 Playoff Predictions article, I explained why I would select Jokic as the regular season MVP, and I anticipated an Oklahoma City-Denver second round matchup, favoring Oklahoma City in six games. Nothing that I saw in the first round altered my thought process on either count. I still think that Jokic is the NBA's best all-around player, and I still think that Oklahoma City will win this series.
Nuggets Overwhelm Clippers in Second Half of 120-101 Game Seven Rout
The L.A. Clippers led 26-21 after the first quarter, but trailed 58-47 at halftime and then collapsed in the second half as the Denver Nuggets won game seven 120-101 to advance to a second round matchup versus the Oklahoma City Thunder; the final score obscures the fact that the Nuggets led 103-68 with 8:49 left in the fourth quarter before calling off the dogs. The Nuggets became the first team to have six players each score at least 15 points in a seventh game. Aaron Gordon led the way (22 points), followed by Christian Braun (21 points), Nikola Jokic (16 points), Jamal Murray (16 points), Russell Westbrook (16 points), and Michael Porter Jr. (15 points). Jokic led the Nuggets with 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Westbrook contributed five rebounds, five assists, and a game-high five steals.
Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 22 points on 6-13 field goal shooting, but he did not impact the game across the board the way that he usually does, finishing with five rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots, and a game-worst -33 plus/minus number. James Harden, the All-Star guard who is supposed to be the team's reliable second option, had seven points on 2-8 field goal shooting and a -29 plus/minus number; his game-high 13 assists were not nearly enough to make up for not only his poor shooting but his refusal to shoot in an elimination game: the game was still within reach at halftime, but the game was out of reach after Harden scored 0 points on 0-2 field goal shooting while playing all 12 third quarter minutes. Leonard had eight points during the third quarter.
Before digging into the details of yet another pathetic performance to add to Harden's horrific elimination game resume (which now includes a 3-13 won/loss record since he fled Oklahoma City after the 2012 season), we will give credit to the Nuggets. Each Denver starter had between 11 and 16 field goal attempts, and Westbrook provided a critical energy boost during his 27 minutes off of the bench; the 2017 regular season MVP is not the first or second option on a regular basis at this stage of his career but--unlike many players who struggle to accept a lesser role when doing so becomes a necessary reality--he is a team-first player who embraces with enthusiasm his current role as a player who provides hustle, scoring, playmaking, rebounding, and defense off of the bench. The Nuggets took a double digit lead into halftime in large part because Westbrook had 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals, and no turnovers while playing all 12 minutes in the second quarter. When Westbrook rebounded his own missed free throw and scored in traffic at the 3:10 mark of the second quarter, I thought about how stupid it sounded when Amin Elhassan and Zach Harper giggled their way through a segment on their radio show while asserting that Westbrook is a stat padder who obtains easy rebounds from complicit teammates. Westbrook is not a stat padder; he is an energetic game-changer: that play sparked a 9-4 run to close the first half, and set the stage for Denver's third quarter avalanche that ended the game and the series.
Westbrook is not a perfect player and he is the first to admit that, but he never cheats the game, his teammates, or the fans: he plays hard, and his basketball IQ is underrated; after the game, Christian Braun--who drew the primary assignment of guarding Harden--mentioned that Westbrook's knowledge of the Clippers' offensive sets in general and Westbrook's knowledge of Harden's tendencies in particular were invaluable to him.
If you love watching basketball being played the way that it is supposed to be played, then you have to love Westbrook; you may not root for him if he is on the opposing team, but you have to respect his approach to the game.
The emotional exclamation point for Denver's win happened after Westbrook stole the ball and delivered an uncontested fastbreak dunk at the 6:53 mark of the fourth quarter to put Denver up, 107-76. Westbrook hung on the rim for an extended period, and did not care at all about the ensuing technical foul; during the stoppage of play, Westbrook exchanged high fives with Denver fans while very emphatically telling the Clippers' fans in the crowd to go home. One got the sense that Westbrook was not only sharing joy with Nuggets' fans while talking trash to Clippers' fans but that he was also letting out a lot of pent-up energy directed toward both of his former teams in L.A.--not just the Clippers, but also the Lakers and the sycophantic media members who unfairly made him a scapegoat even though knowledgeable analysts like Hubie Brown praised Westbrook during his time with the Lakers.
James Harden is the exact opposite of Russell Westbrook: Westbrook keeps himself in shape all of the time, plays hard, accepts his role, and focuses on doing with high energy whatever his team needs him to do, while Harden is often out of shape, often does not give maximum effort, pouts if he does not like his role, and disappears like clockwork when his team needs him most, as if he looks at his Gucci and knows that in clutch moments it is "time to get ill."
Harden has said that he does not play in a system because he is "The System." His biggest fan, Daryl Morey, insists that Harden is a better scorer than Michael Jordan. Look up delusional in the dictionary, and you should see those two statements as prime examples.
Nuggets-Clippers was the most closely contested first round series this year--Golden State-Houston is the only other series to even reach a seventh game, to be played on Sunday night--but game seven turned into a blowout because it is difficult for a team featuring Harden in a first option or second option role to overcome his propensity to disappear when it matters most: if a player who is expected to score 12-15 points only scores 6-10 points, his team can overcome that, but if a player who is expected to be a dominant scorer who draws double teams instead just disappears then there is no way for his team to overcome the huge gap between expected production and delivered production. Very few players are capable of filling the first or second option role on a championship contending team, and Harden is not one of those players, as I noted 12 years ago after Harden fled Oklahoma City instead of accepting a third option role behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Harden is not the only reason that his teams have lost so many elimination games, but he is the biggest reason because of his overall approach to the game: if the purported leader is out of shape, does not play hard, and shrinks in big moments then his teammates are going to follow that example in one or more ways. Leonard, who is candid if dry during his press conferences, admitted that the Clippers' game seven effort was disappointing.
Westbrook lifts his teammates' energy, and Harden deflates his teammates' energy.
At least Leonard went to the post-game press conference. Harden left the arena without speaking to the media, which is not the first time that he has done this after a crushing loss, and is yet another example of how ill-suited he is to the role of being a franchise's best player or second best player; a leader does not shirk responsibility for a loss, and speaks to the media even if he knows that there will be uncomfortable questions.
Jamal Murray poured in a game-high 43 points, Nikola Jokic had a modest (by his lofty standards) triple double (13 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds), Aaron Gordon scored 23 points on 7-11 field goal shooting, and Russell Westbrook had 21 points off of the bench as the Denver Nuggets dismantled the L.A. Clippers 131-115 to take a 3-2 series lead. Westbrook showed no ill effects from the foot injury that forced him to miss Denver's game three win. The Nuggets jumped out to a 17-6 first quarter lead, never trailed, and were ahead by as many as 22 points before settling for a 16 point victory margin.
Ivica Zubac scored a team-high 27 points on 11-15 field goal shooting, Kawhi Leonard had a near-triple double (20 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds), and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18 points off of the bench for the Clippers, who melted down in front of their fans who thought that they showed up for a party, not a funeral.
All of the main players for both teams showed up--except for one: James Harden, a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, was his team's sixth leading scorer in this game. This is deja vu all over again for the Clippers, who are learning that there is at least one other certainty in life besides death and taxes: James Harden disappearing in game five of a 2-2 series. Last year, the Clippers entered game five versus the Dallas Mavericks tied 2-2, and they exited game five trailing 3-2 after a 123-93 loss during which Harden had a triple single (seven points, seven assists, four rebounds) while shooting 2-12 from the field (a frigid February "concert tour") and delivering his trademark "Harden" (a game during which a player has more turnovers than field goals made) with two field goals made and four turnovers. This year, Harden scored 11 points on 3-9 field goal shooting with five assists, four turnovers, and a game-worst -16 plus/minus number, achieving the rare (except for him) feat of logging a "concert tour" field goal percentage and a "Harden" in the same game.
Game five winners in a 2-2 series go on to win the series 81.3% of the
time, so it is fair to say that game five of the Denver Nuggets-L.A.
Clippers series was the biggest game of the season for both teams. Of course, game six is an even bigger game for the Clippers, because if they lose that game then their season is over with a first round exit, a sad finale for a squad that many "experts" lauded as a potential Western Conference Finals participant before the playoffs began.
Daryl Morey compared Harden favorably to Michael Jordan, but in fact Harden is the anti-Jordan: when Jordan played in a pivotal playoff game you knew that he would be very efficient and productive and his team would most likely win, but when Harden plays in a pivotal playoff game you know that he will be inefficient and unproductive and his team will most likely lose. Harden's elimination game resume provides a blueprint for what the Clippers should expect in game six; last year in game six, Harden scored 16 points on 5-16 field goal shooting as the Mavericks ended the Clippers season with a 114-101 defeat.
Stephen Curry is the 30th Member of Pro Basketball's 25,000 Point Club
On Saturday March 8, Stephen Curry joined pro basketball's 25,000 point club while scoring a game-high 32 points as his Golden State Warriors won at home versus the much improved Detroit Pistons, 115-110. The NBA and its media partners count Curry as the 25,000 point club's 26th member because they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge ABA statistics, thereby wrongly excluding Julius Erving (who scored 30,026 career points), Dan Issel (27,482), George Gervin (26,595), and Rick Barry (25,279).
Curry ranks fifth among active players on the career scoring list, trailing only LeBron James (the NBA's career scoring leader who is also the sole member of the 40,000 point club), Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. DeMar DeRozan needs to score 123 points to be the next member of the 25,000 point club. Chris Paul is 2158 points short, but the soon to be 40 year old has not scored 1000 points in a season since 2020-21 so it seems unlikely that he will join the 25,000 point club.
Curry, West, and Russell Westbrook are the only 25,000 point club members who are shorter than 6-4, which is yet another reminder of how much size matters in pro basketball. As I discussed in my article about Westbrook joining the 25,000 point club, Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, West, and Havlicek were the "charter" members of the 25,000 point club, and then the club added six members in the 1980s: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Dan Issel, Elvin Hayes, George Gervin,
Moses Malone and Rick Barry.
Even though the 25,000 point club is not as exclusive as it used to be, joining the club is still meaningful: a player who averages 25 ppg and plays in 80 games per season for 12 years would fall short, highlighting the combination of durability and high level productivity that it takes to surpass 25,000 points.
Nikola Jokic Posts First 30-20-20 Stat Line in Pro Basketball History
Last night, Nikola Jokic posted historic numbers--31 points, 22 assists, 21 rebounds--as his Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in overtime. Jokic dominated the overtime with five points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal. This is not only the first 30-20-20 stat line in pro basketball history, but Jokic broke Wilt Chamberlain's 47 year old record for single game assists by a center (Chamberlain had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers in a 131-121 win versus the Detroit Pistons on February 2, 1968). Jokic joined his teammate Russell Westbrook and Chamberlain as the only three players in pro basketball history to have a 20-20-20 game. This was Jokic's seventh 15-15-15 game this season and the 14th of his career, tying two Oscar Robertson records.
It is unfortunate that the NBA and its media partners ignore ABA numbers when discussing all-time records, but it should be noted that Julius Erving had 26 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists in a 138-91 playoff victory versus Rick Barry's New York Nets on April 13, 1972. Erving was a rookie when he accomplished that feat, and--as far as I can determine--Jokic is the only other player in pro basketball history to notch a 26-20-15 game (in addition to last night's performance, Jokic had a 35-22-17 game versus Sacramento on January 23, 2025).
Jokic now has 29 triple doubles in 2024-25, matching his career-high for a season, and tying for sixth on the all-time single season list behind Westbrook (42 in 2016-17), Robertson (41 in 1961-62), Westbrook (38 in 2020-21), Westbrook (34 in 2018-19), and Chamberlain (31 in 1967-68). Side note: as long as you are not brainwashed by Amin Elhassan and Zach Harper or LeBron James' p.r. man Dave "Vampire" McMenamin, you understand that Westbrook is an all-time great.
The prevailing media narrative seems to be that Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will win the 2024-25 regular season MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander is having a great season for the West-leading 52-11 Thunder; he ranks first in the NBA in scoring (career-high 32.8 ppg), second in steals (1.8 spg), and eighth in free throw percentage (.898). Gilgeous-Alexander has no skill set weaknesses, and there is nothing negative to say about his game--but Jokic is nearly averaging a triple double and he is poised to become the first player in pro basketball history to rank in the top three in scoring (28.9 ppg, third), rebounding (12.9 rpg, third), and assists (10.6 apg, second). I explained my MVP criteria in an article handicapping the 2017 MVP race, and my MVP criteria remain the same: "My philosophy about the MVP award remains unchanged; the MVP should be
the best all-around player in the league, unless there is a player who
is so singularly dominant in one or two phases of the game that this
dominance makes him more valuable than the league's best all-around
player at that time. So, Shaquille O'Neal should have won several MVPs
(instead of just one) even though he was never the best all-around
player in the league; his dominance in the paint made him more valuable
than anyone else during his prime."
O'Neal averaged more than 28.9 ppg three times in his 19 season career, and he averaged more than 12.9 rpg three times; he exceeded both of those numbers in the same season just twice, and in one of those seasons (2000-01) he captured his lone regular season MVP. Jokic is putting up "Shaq-like" numbers as a dominant big man and he is the best all-around player in the league as signified by his scoring/rebounding/passing excellence, so I would designate him as the clear choice for 2024-25 MVP--not based on one game, but based on his season-long triple double dominance.
Jokic and Westbrook Make Triple Double History Together
Russell Westbrook is the career triple double leader (202), while his teammate Nikola Jokic ranks third all-time with 145 career triple doubles; those totals include a triple double for each player in Denver's 124-105 Friday night victory over Brooklyn when the duo set a record by becoming the first teammates to have a triple double in the same game twice in the same season. Jokic had 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists versus Brooklyn, while Westbrook had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Their first such game happened on December 30, 2024 when Westbrook had a "perfect" triple double (signified by making all of his shots and not committing any turnovers) in a 132-121 win versus Utah. Westbrook had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while shooting 7-7 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line. Jokic put up a stat line reminiscent of prime Wilt Chamberlain: 36 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists. When Chamberlain led the NBA in assists in 1967-68 en route to winning his fourth regular season MVP, he had five 30-point triple doubles, and he had at least 20 rebounds in four of those games.
Westbrook did not shoot well during the first portion of the season, but since December 1 he has shot .514 from the field. Despite battling injuries to starters Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets are 4-2 in January and 12-8 since December 1. In six January 2025 games, Westbrook is averaging 17.3 ppg, 8.2 apg, and 7.3 rpg with shooting splits of .507/.370/.692. Overall, he is averaging 12.9 ppg, 6.8 apg, and 5.0 apg this season while playing in all 37 of Denver's games (16 as a starter).
The L.A. Lakers conducted a despicable propaganda war against Westbrook, eagerly aided and abetted by LeBron James' media sycophants (including but not limited to Dave "Vampire" McMenamin and Brian "I owe it all to covering LeBron since high school" Windhorst) but--as I wrote after Westbrook finally escaped from the Lakers--"The propaganda campaign waged against Westbrook for the last year and a
half is going to lose a lot of momentum now that Westbrook is playing
for a legitimate NBA franchise that is more likely to utilize him
correctly." Westbrook began rehabilitating his reputation during his post-Lakers stint with the L.A. Clippers from 2022-24, and this season we are seeing that Westbrook is still quite capable of playing at a high level even at the age of 36. It is fascinating to contrast how well Westbrook has played during his career alongside Kevin Durant, Paul George, and now Nikola Jokic--and how well they played alongside him--with the way that the Lakers (under the control of Player President/GM/Coach LeBron James) not only misused Westbrook but then slandered him.
Russell Westbrook's "Perfect" Triple Double Provides a Reminder of How Exceptional He is
The Denver Nuggets' 132-121 victory versus the Utah Jazz on Monday December 30 featured two triple doubles. Denver's MVP candidate (and three-time NBA regular season MVP) Nikola Jokic had the 144th triple double of his career (36 points, 22 rebounds, 11 assists), and his teammate Russell Westbrook had the 201st triple double of his career (16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists). Jokic ranks third all-time in triple doubles, behind only Oscar Robertson (181) and Westbrook (201), who became the triple double king in 2021. While Jokic had the "bigger" triple double versus Utah, Westbrook had the more uncommon triple double: Westbrook did not miss a shot (7-7 FG, 2-2 FT) and did not commit a turnover, authoring just the third "perfect" triple double since the NBA began officially tracking individual turnovers during the 1977-78 season. Jokic (in 2018) and Domantas Sabonis (earlier this season) are the only other players who have had "perfect" triple doubles. This is the second time that Westbrook shot 100% from the field during a triple double game.
Denver Coach Michael Malone effusively praised Westbrook: "First-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. And what I admire so much about him, aside from the leadership and toughness that he brings every single day, is he's got no ego." Malone added, "He came here for one reason and that's to help us win a championship. And he hates to lose, and that's another thing I love about him. He's built the right way, and I'll go to war with Russell Westbrook any day."
Seven of the top 12 career leaders in triple doubles are active players. It could be argued that triple doubles in general are easier to get now than in previous eras due to lenient scorekeeping for assists, but it is biased and foolish to praise some players' triple doubles while acting as if the triple doubles by the all-time triple double leader are worthless; the distance between Westbrook and Robertson on the career triple double list--20--would tie Charles Barkley and Tom Gola for 29th all-time. Kevin Durant, Scottie Pippen, Bill Russell, Kevin Garnett, and Stephen Curry are just a few of the Hall of Famers/future Hall of Famers who have less than 20 career triple doubles. In other words, Westbrook is head and shoulders above everyone in terms of triple doubles, and the margin of his dominance cannot be explained just by the nature of how the game is played now or by how statistics are recorded now.
Denver fans need not concern themselves with how easy or difficult it is to get a triple double, or with how many career triple doubles Jokic and Westbrook will have, because what matters most now for their team is that Westbrook's energy and unselfishness are, as I predicted, a breath of fresh air for a Nuggets team that lacks depth.
Cavaliers Own NBA's Only Perfect Record After Nuggets Silence Thunder
The Cleveland Cavaliers not only own the best record in the NBA, but they are enjoying their best start in franchise history after beating the New Orleans Pelicans 131-122 to improve to 9-0. Kenny Atkinson is the first coach in NBA history to start out 9-0 in his first season with a new team. Statistics through nine games of an 82 game season are classic "small sample size theater," but it is still noteworthy that the Cavaliers own the third highest scoring average (123.2 ppg) in a 9-0
start in NBA history, trailing only the 1960-61 Philadelphia Warriors
(126.8 ppg) and the 1990-91 Portland Trail Blazers (125.0 ppg). The 1961 Warriors featured Wilt Chamberlain, who led the league in scoring that season (38.4 ppg), and they finished second in the four team Eastern Division behind the powerful Boston Celtics. The 1991 Trail Blazers were led by Clyde Drexler (21.5 ppg) and they finished with the league's best record before being upset by Magic Johnson's L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference Finals; the Trail Blazers reached the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992.
The Cavaliers rank first in the NBA in scoring, first in field goal percentage (.526), ninth in defensive field goal percentage (.456), and 11th in points allowed (110.6 ppg). One possible area of concern is that they rank just 23rd in rebounding (42.1 rpg). Last season, the Cavaliers ranked 20th in scoring (112.6 ppg) 12th in field goal percentage (.479), sixth in defensive field goal percentage (.463), seventh in points allowed (110.2 ppg), and 17th in rebounding (43.3 rpg). So, it would be fair to say that thus far their offense is much more efficient, and their defense is slightly less efficient. It is important to understand that Cleveland has beaten several teams that were bad last season and are unlikely to be good this season, including Detroit, Toronto, and Washington. The Cavaliers also have two wins against the struggling Milwaukee Bucks. A good case could be made that Cleveland's only "quality" win is at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks--but even the Knicks, who were 50-32 last season, are just 3-4 so far this season.
In short, the Cavaliers have started the season strongly, but we will know a lot more about how good they really are after they play some tougher competition.
Donovan Mitchell led a balanced Cleveland attack with a game-high tying 29 points, but he had a lot of help. Jarrett Allen had 16 points plus a game-high 14 rebounds, Caris LeVert added 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists, Evan Mobley delivered 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocked shots, and Darius Garland chipped in with 14 points and a game-high nine assists.
The Pelicans slipped to 3-6, and face a rough stretch because they are without the services of both of their injured starting guards, C.J. McCollum and Dejounte Murray. Zion Williamson scored a game-high tying 29 points, Jose Alvarado added 27 points, five assists, and three steals, and Brandon Ingram had 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Oklahoma City owned the only other perfect record (7-0) in the NBA heading into Wednesday's action, but the Thunder fell 124-122 to the Denver Nuggets, who improved to 5-3. Russell Westbrook scored a game-high tying 29 points, grabbed six rebounds, and passed for six assists. Plus/minus numbers are interesting, but sometimes are "noisy" in small sample sizes, and this game is an example of Westbrook's plus/minus number (-14) not reflecting his impact. Westbrook scored or assisted on 15 consecutive points as the Nuggets
rallied from a 16 point deficit to beat a team that earned the number one seed in the Western Conference last season with a 57-25 record (beating out 57-25 Denver on tiebreaks) and is expected to be a championship contender this season.
Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 29 points, matching Westbrook's output, and he added 10 rebounds plus nine assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 28 points, six assists, and a game-high eight turnovers. Chet Holmgren scored 15 points and tied Williams for team-high honors with 10 rebounds, but he shot just 5-14 from the field.
Denver Coach Michael Malone praised Westbrook after the game: "And what I love about Russell Westbrook: 17-year vet, leopards don't
change their spots, but he is trying so hard to be disciplined. He's
trying to do the things we're asking him to do, and I appreciate that so
much. Because a lot of times at 17 years in, you are who you are. But
he cares, man. He is so invested in this team and what he's bringing to
this team, and he's so hard on himself. I can coach a guy like Russell
Westbrook any day."
Nikola Jokic finished with 23 points, a game-high 20 rebounds, and a game-high 16 assists. Those boxscore numbers look like typographical errors, but they are just one more chapter in what is shaping up to possibly be yet another MVP season: Jokic, who has won the regular season MVP in three of the past four
seasons (including last season), currently leads the league in
rebounding (13.5 rpg) and assists (11.0 apg) while ranking fourth in
scoring (28.8 ppg).
Justin Termine, the self-proclaimed "entertainer" who admits to not being a journalist,
has repeatedly trashed the Nuggets for their roster moves. It is
important to understand that part of his agenda is to elevate Jokic by asserting that Jokic has no help around him. I agree with
Termine that Jokic is the NBA's best player, but I disagree that it is
necessary to rip apart Jokic's supporting cast. The Nuggets just
beat the powerful Thunder without both Murray and starting forward Aaron
Gordon, who is expected to miss multiple weeks with a calf injury. Maybe this game is an aberration, but I think that Jokic, Westbrook, and company can hold down the fort until Murray and Gordon return.
The Nuggets rank fourth in the NBA in scoring (119.0 ppg), third in
rebounding (48.3 rpg), and fourth in assists (29.4 apg). They are not
good defensively, and must improve in that category in order to be a
playoff contender.
Thunder Dominate Nuggets as Both Teams Misfire From Beyond the Arc
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets tied for the best record in the Western Conference last season (57-25) with the Thunder obtaining the number one seed based on the head to head tiebreaker--but in the season debut for both teams on Thursday night the Thunder dominated the Nuggets in a sloppy game during which the teams combined to shoot 15-75 (.200) from three point range. Both teams hardly lit up the scoreboard from inside the arc, either, with the Thunder shooting 43-101 (.426) overall (including 8-36 from three point range) and the Nuggets shooting 35-99 (.354) overall (including (7-39 from three point range). This is not the vaunted "pace and space" loved by "stat gurus"; this steady stream of airballs and bricks is the type of sloppy basketball decried by traditionalists who argue that NBA teams shoot too many three pointers at the cost of abandoning higher percentage shots closer to the hoop.
The Nuggets jumped out to a 19-10 lead by the 5:47 mark of the first quarter before being outscored 92-68 the rest of the way as the Thunder rolled to a 102-87 win. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 28 points on 11-24 field goal shooting while dishing for a team-high eight assists and snaring seven rebounds. Chet Holmgren dominated the paint with 25 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, and a game-high four blocked shots; he is so skinny that he looks like a stiff wind might sweep him away, but he plays with energy, force, and speed to counteract the strength advantage that many big men have over him. Aaron Wiggins contributed 15 points off of the bench on 7-9 field goal shooting.
Each of Denver's five starters scored between 12 and 16 points, with Nikola Jokic and Christian Braun leading the way with 16 points each. Jokic shot 6-13 from the field while logging a game-high 13 assists, and a team-high 12 rebounds. The Nuggets need more than 12 points on 4-14 shooting from Jamal Murray. The Thunder's bench outscored the Nuggets' bench, 25-16. Even without the injured Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, the Thunder have a deep roster.
Both teams can shoot and play a lot better than they did in this game.
It has become fashionable to write off the Nuggets as lacking the
necessary depth to compete in the Western Conference, and this game will
only add fuel to that criticism, but one should be cautious about making sweeping conclusions one game into an 82 game season.
The Nuggets signed former MVP and future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook to anchor their bench. Westbrook had six points, five rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots in his Denver debut, but he shot just 2-10 from the field and had a game-worst -24 plus/minus number. Westbrook played his usual high energy style, but six of his 10 field goal attempts were from three point range, and that is not optimal for him or the team; Westbrook is at his best when he attacks the hoop to create high percentage scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates, something that he did several times during this game in between the missed three pointers. I believe that Westbrook will provide a spark for the Nuggets' off of the bench, and that by the end of the season his signing will be considered one of the league's best offseason moves. He will fit in perfectly with the Nuggets, a team that takes a professional approach and is focused on winning/teamwork above everything else.
Westbrook spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2019 for Chris Paul and four first round draft picks. Westbrook's stay in Houston lasted just one season, as his serious approach to the game--playing hard consistently and showing up on time for practices and games--did not mesh well with the much more casual approach favored by James Harden. The Rockets traded Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in 2020 for John Wall and a first round draft pick. Westbrook averaged 22.2 ppg, 11.7 apg, and 11.5 rpg for the Wizards in 2020-21, capturing his third assists title in four years while leading the Wizards to their only playoff appearance between 2018 and 2024. Westbrook also broke Oscar Robertson's record for career triple doubles.
After the 2021 season, Westbrook landed with the L.A. Lakers as part of a five team trade. The LeBron James-Anthony Davis-Russell Westbrook trio could have been a force to reckon with if the Lakers committed to playing defense and then pushing the ball up the court at a fast pace after defensive stops, but James prefers to slow the game down, monopolize the ball, and then find scapegoats after his team loses. Westbrook and Coach Frank Vogel became the prime scapegoats for James and his media sycophants. The Lakers fired Vogel in 2022, just two years after he led the Lakers to the championship, and then they traded Westbrook to the Utah Jazz in February 2023. The Jazz waived Westrook, who finished the season with the L.A. Clippers. Westbrook averaged 15.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and 7.5 apg overall in the 2022-23 season, and he averaged 23.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 7.4 apg during the Clippers' first round loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Clippers acquired James Harden early during the 2023-24 season, and Westbrook accepted being relegated to a reserve role. Westbrook averaged 11.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 4.5 apg while shooting .454 from the field. He finished tied for seventh in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year. Not surprisingly, the Clippers flamed out again in the playoffs, with Kawhi Leonard getting hurt, Harden putting up his typical "concert tour" field goal percentages, and Paul "I call myself Playoff P" George disappearing as usual.
In short, Westbrook has spent the past four seasons with organizations that are not serious about consistently putting together a championship caliber program: he should get a special award for carrying the "Wheeze-hards" to the playoffs, the Lakers have not advanced past the first round in three of the four seasons after winning the 2020 "bubble title," and the Clippers put way too much faith in Leonard's balky knees, George's flimsy playoff resume, and Harden's documented record of disappearing in the games that matter most.
Westbrook will benefit tremendously from leaving teams engulfed in drama to go to a team that is serious about winning but a bit shorthanded now due to salary cap constraints; in the past two years, the Nuggets have lost Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, two key rotation players from their 2023 championship team. Westbrook will not replace their "3 and D" contributions, but he is an elite scorer, rebounder, and playmaker who consistently plays hard and who would do anything to help his team. The Nuggets have a great organization from ownership to management to the coaching staff to the tone set by Jokic, and Westbrook will fit in perfectly with a team that is serious about winning.
Westbrook's critics dismiss his rebounding numbers as stat padding.
It is evident that Westbrook's critics--including but not limited to Amin Elhassan and Zach Harper--either have an agenda or do not understand basketball very well, because it is easy to demonstrate (1) that Westbrook's rebounds are not fungible and (2) there are many real, documented examples of stat padding that the league and its media partners are quite happy to ignore.
Westbrook will be a great energizer as a sixth man for the Nuggets, and he is still capable of being a starter as well.
Harden’s Concert Tour Starts on Schedule, Ends Clippers’ Season
Kyrie Irving (30 points, six rebounds, four assists, one turnover) and Luka Doncic (28 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds) led the way on Friday night as the Dallas Mavericks beat the L.A. Clippers 114-101 to advance to the second round of the playoffs. My forthcoming preview of the Oklahoma City-Dallas series will discuss in more detail how well Doncic and Irving performed versus the Clippers, but because the Clippers have "gone fishing" (as the TNT crew puts it) and will not be seen again until next fall this article will focus on yet another "team nobody wants to face" that everybody should want to face.
One unavoidable and sad headline for the Clippers is that Kawhi Leonard just cannot get right physically. Since leading the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship, Leonard has had one healthy playoff run (during which the Clippers lost to the Denver Nuggets in game seven in 2020, with Leonard shooting just 6-22 from the field). Leonard missed the last six of the Clippers' 19 playoff games in 2021, missed the entire 2022 season due to injury, missed the last three of the Clippers' five playoff games in 2023, and missed four of the Clippers' six playoff games in 2024. He turns 33 next month, but he seems to have 45 year old knees: Leonard has not played at least 70 games in a regular season since 2016-17. There is no logical reason to believe that he will ever be healthy enough to lead a team on an extended playoff run.
The Clippers' second option is Paul "I call myself Playoff P" George. You can count on one thing from Playoff P: in more than half of his playoff series, he has shot .420 or worse from the field. He was his reliably unreliable self in 2024 versus the Mavericks, shooting .411 from the field, including 6-18 (.333) in game six and 4-13 (.308) in game five.
The best thing that happened to minimize the damage to Playoff P's reputation is that the Clippers signed James Harden to be the starting point guard and be the third scoring option.
This year, Harden disappeared in game five versus the Mavericks and he scheduled a 5-16 concert in game six, scoring just 16 points as the Mavericks wrecked the listing Clippers. With Harden running the show, the Clippers shot .415 from the field, including .258 from three point range. The "stat gurus" rave about Harden's efficiency and insist that we should not rely on the "eye test." So--without even describing all of the ways that Harden ruins an offense and destroys team chemistry--we can just look at his individual numbers and his team's numbers and understand that it is very unlikely that he will ever be the best player (or second best player or third best player) on a legit championship contender. This was not an outlier performance, either--this is yet another line added to Harden's pathetic elimination game resume, which also includes nine points and five turnovers for Philadelphia in a 112-88 loss to Boston last year (that one will be hard for even Harden to top, but I believe that he can do it).
When the best player is out, the second best player disappears, and the third best player disappears, it is not surprising that a team loses. No further explanation is needed (but credit should be given to what Dallas did well, and as noted above, I will discuss that in an upcoming article).
However, I can hear the peanut gallery shouting, "But, but, but, what about Russell Westbrook? How can we blame this whole fiasco on him? The Lakers did it, so why can't the Clippers do it, too?"
There is no sugarcoating the reality that Westbrook did not post good numbers versus the Mavericks; he averaged playoff career-lows across the board—including 19.0
mpg, barely half his career average. A third of his field goal attempts were three pointers, well above his career norm.
It is worth remembering that in last year's playoffs--his first with the Clippers, after joining the team in midseason in the wake of the Lakers shipping him out and trashing his reputation--Westbrook averaged 23.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 7.4 apg. Then, Westbrook played well at the start of this season before the Clippers traded for Harden. The Clippers slumped after Harden arrived, then played better after Westbrook volunteered to be the sixth man so that Harden could dribble the basketball until it was as flat as a pancake as the starting point guard. Westbrook broke his left (non-shooting) hand on March 1, had surgery, and came back in just three weeks. We regularly hear about LeBron James' ankle and other assorted ailments, and there are always injury alibis provided for Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid--but the fact that Westbrook is playing with a recently broken hand is never mentioned. Broken hand recovery time is typically at least two months, which means that the best case scenario is that Westbrook's hand is just now rounding into form--assuming that his injury was typical and that he did not reinjure it during the past five weeks. Whether due to injury or the design--or lack thereof--of the Clippers' offense, Westbrook spent much of the Dallas series camped out behind the three point line. To put it mildly, that is not a skill set strength for Westbrook, who is at his best on the move to the hoop with the ball in his hands. Of course, with Harden and George taking turns monopolizing the ball and bricking shots, there is not much room for Westbrook to get touches on the move.
Again, there is no denying that Westbrook was not productive versus the Mavericks--but it is burying the lede to focus on the fourth option who is playing with a recently broken hand instead of focusing on the chronically injured first option, and the disappearing acts performed by the second and third options.
Speaking of the invisible men, Playoff P has a player option after being tied for the NBA's seventh highest salary in 2024. Some "experts" suggest that the Philadelphia 76ers should use their salary cap space to bring in Playoff P for $50 million per season--and what team does not need a 34 year old with a long history of playoff underperformance? All the 76ers need after signing Playoff P is to bring in Chris Paul, "the best leader in the NBA." Paul's tremendous leadership was fully evident when the Golden State Warriors finished 10th out of 15 teams in the West before losing in the Play-In Tournament.
Harden was a bargain last season, ranking a mere 28th in salary. He is a free agent, and it will be interesting to see who ponies up $30 million or more per season to get an up close view of the full concert tour.
Russell Westbrook Joins the Elite 25,000 Point Club, and is the Second Player With 25,000 Points/9000 Assists/8000 Rebounds
Last Friday night, Russell Westbrook joined pro basketball's 25,000 point club after scoring 23 points as his L.A. Clippers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 136-125. According to the NBA and its media partners, Westbrook is the 25th member of the 25,000 point club--but ABA statistics should be counted by the NBA just like AFL statistics are counted by the NFL, so the truth is that the 25,000 point club has 29 members. Julius Erving (30,026 career points, ranking eighth all-time), Dan Issel (27,482 points, 13th), George Gervin (26,595 points, 18th), and Rick Barry (25,279 points, 26th) are the ABA players who are excluded by the NBA, while former ABA player Moses Malone is docked 2171 points but still makes the "official" cut.
Younger fans may not realize that the 25,000 point club used to be even
more exclusive. The "charter" members, so to speak, are Wilt
Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and John Havlicek, who founded
the club from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s. In the 1980s, the
club added six members: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who is still the all-time
scoring leader), Julius Erving, Dan Issel, Elvin Hayes, George Gervin,
Moses Malone and Rick Barry. The club has since more than doubled in
size. This is similar to the dramatic increase in the number of chess
players who have at least a 2600 FIDE (International Chess Federation)
rating; there were just 15 such players on the first official rating
list in 1971 but by 1991 there were 33 and by 2004 a 2600 rating was not
enough to earn a top 100 spot in the world rankings. Chess ratings are
affected by the composition of the entire pool of players (it is easier
to gain points when there are more players who have high ratings), while
pro basketball point totals are affected not just by skill but also by
rules changes, style of play changes, training advances that have
extended careers and other factors.
In 1977, even the 20,000 point club was very exclusive, including only (in addition to Chamberlain, Robertson, West, and Havlicek) Elgin Baylor (23,149 points), Hal Greer (21,586 points), Walt Bellamy (20,941 points), and Bob Pettit (20,880 points).
Although the 25,000 point club is less exclusive than it used to be, tallying 25,000 points is still a milestone accomplishment: if a player averages 25 ppg and plays in 80 games per season for 12 years, he will be 1000 points short of 25,000, so it is obvious that all of the 25,000 point scorers combined high level production with durability.
Westbrook has won two scoring titles (2015, 2017), but he made his mark as an all-around player who is an elite scorer, rebounder, and passer. He and LeBron James are the only players in pro basketball history to have at least 25,000 career points, at least 9000 career assists, and at least 8000 career rebounds. Westbrook led the NBA in assists three times (2018-19, 2021), he became pro basketball's career triple doubles leader in 2021--breaking Oscar Robertson's record of 181--and he currently has 198 career triple doubles. Nikola Jokic ranks second among active players with 120, trailing only Westbrook, Robertson, and Magic Johnson (138). LeBron James (110) and Jason Kidd (107) are the only other players who amassed at least 100 career triple doubles.
It is baffling and inexcusable that so many media members use any excuse to bash Westbrook. Not only is Westbrook one of the most talented and accomplished players of all-time, but he also embodies all of the best values of a professional athlete: He shows up for every game, he plays hard, he accepts whatever his role is, and he is a great teammate. Westbrook has played in all 48 of the L.A. Clippers' games this season, and he has enthusiastically accepted a bench role that would cause many players of his status--and even players of a lesser status--to complain and sulk.
Westbrook's critics remind me of a line from the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer; the chess prodigy's father in the movie notes that his son is better at playing chess than most people will be at anything they do. Russell Westbrook is better at playing basketball than most people will be at anything, and that goes double for many of the credential-wearing people who pose as journalists. The way that the L.A. Lakers and LeBron James' media sycophants treated Westbrook during Westbrook's brief time with the Lakers was despicable, and it is noteworthy that the legendary Hubie Brown stood out from the crowd by praising Westbrook.
It is fitting that with Westbrook playing a key role the Clippers are now fighting for the number one seed in the Western Conference while the Lakers--who supposedly improved themselves by trading Westbrook last season--are struggling to qualify for the Play-In Tournament. The Lakers made a fluky run to the Western Conference Finals last year, but--as happened with other teams that made fluky playoff runs, including Portland (2019 Western Conference Finals) and Atlanta (2021 Eastern Conference Finals)--the Lakers are now showing their true level in terms of defense and professionalism; Westbrook was not causing the Lakers' problems, and getting rid of him did not solve their problems.
The two NBA teams in L.A. appear to be on different trajectories, with the Lakers slumping and the Clippers ascending.
The Lakers started the season 14-9--including a 6-0 performance in the NBA Cup (their NBA Cup championship game win versus the Indiana Pacers does not count in the regular season standings)--but they are just 3-9 since the NBA Cup, and they are 10th in the Western Conference standings. The 17-18 Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons, which would be embarrassing for a team featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are both members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
Considering how much hype was heaped on the Lakers just a few months ago, it is funny that the Lakers have just three more wins this season than they did at the same point last season. A year ago, LeBron James' p.r. team in the media worked nonstop to convince the world that Russell Westbrook was the main reason for the Lakers' poor play. The Lakers traded Westbrook for Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt on February 9, 2023, and I asserted that the Westbrook trade did not improve the Lakers' playoff chances. Although the Lakers advanced to the 2023 Western Conference Finals, in retrospect it is apparent that their playoff run was (1) not as impressive as it may have seemed at first and (2) not indicative that the team had improved in a sustainable way: the two teams that the Lakers beat in the playoffs--the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors--have collapsed this season, and the Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Denver Nuggets, the first legit championship contender that they faced. The "triumphant trio" (as I derisively termed them) of Beasley, Russell, and Vanderbilt did not accomplish much during the 2023 playoffs; in game four of the Western Conference Finals, Beasley and Vanderbilt did not play, while Russell scored four points in 15 minutes as the Nuggets closed out the series.
The notion that trading Westbrook for the "triumphant trio" turned the Lakers into a championship contender was laughable at the time, and looks absurd now; the "experts" who praised the trade are now struggling to figure out how to admit that they were wrong without retracting their Westbrook slander and without assigning any blame to James, whose fingerprints are all over the Lakers' personnel moves since he joined the team.
This season, the Lakers rank 13th in defensive field goal percentage, 16th in points allowed, 17th in points scored, and 19th in rebounding; they are mediocre (or worse) at both ends of the court, and it is unlikely that they will come close to repeating last season's fluky run to the Western Conference Finals. On Wednesday night, the Lakers lost 110-96 at home to a Miami team sans Jimmy Butler. James had a game-worst -20 plus/minus number while scoring 12 points on 6-18 field goal shooting; that bad performance is an aberration in an otherwise strong season for James, but it cannot be denied that he seemed more focused on winning the NBA Cup than on leading the Lakers to a top four seed. If the Lakers continue to implode, it will be fascinating to see how Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhorst, and the rest of James' p.r. team spin the debacle in a way that absolves James. Without Westbrook to serve as the scapegoat, who will be the next fall guy? Coach Darvin Ham should keep his head on a swivel.
While the Lakers are floundering, the Clippers have won 18 of their last 23 games. They lost six straight games after trading for James Harden (who was inactive for the first of those games), but now they have the fourth best record in the Western Conference. The main reason for the Clippers' success is Kawhi Leonard, who is not injured or load managing for the first time since he led the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title. Leonard has played in 29 of 33 games this season; the Clippers are 19-10 with Leonard and 2-2 without him. Paul George, who has not played in more than 56 games in a season since 2018-19, has played in 31 games this season, and he has been a strong second option.
For a decade I have insisted that the best role for Harden is third option on a championship contender, and he is in that role now for the first time since he was the third option for the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Thunder reached the 2012 NBA Finals before falling to the Miami Heat (Harden was the nominal third option during his brief stay in Brooklyn, but Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden were rarely on the court together for a variety of reasons). Harden's numbers with the Clippers are solid, but the 76ers' success this season after trading Harden demonstrates that (1) Harden's assists are fungible and (2) Harden's individual numbers do not create wins. Harden consistently disappears in the playoffs, and it is a good bet that he will disappear in the 2024 playoffs, so even though Harden is finally in the ideal role it remains to be seen if Leonard's ability to produce in the clutch can outweigh Harden's annual playoff "concert tours."
Westbrook's role in the Clippers' success should be mentioned. Westbrook finished last season with the Clippers after the Lakers discarded him, and he played well as a starter for the Clippers before willingly accepting a reserve role this season after Harden joined the team. Westbrook ranks second on the team in both rebounding (6.5 rpg) and assists (4.7 apg) while averaging 11.8 ppg in just 23.9 mpg. Westbrook is unselfish, he is a great teammate, he rarely misses games, and he plays consistently plays hard. The Lakers could sure use a player like that!
"A work of art contains its verification in itself: artificial, strained concepts do not withstand the test of being turned into images; they fall to pieces, turn out to be sickly and pale, convince no one. Works which draw on truth and present it to us in live and concentrated form grip us, compellingly involve us, and no one ever, not even ages hence, will come forth to refute them."--Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Nobel Lecture)
"The most 'popular,' the most 'successful' writers among us (for a brief period, at least) are, 99 times out of a hundred, persons of mere effrontery--in a word, busy-bodies, toadies, quacks."--Edgar Allan Poe
"In chess what counts is what you know, not whom you know. It's the way life is supposed to be, democratic and just."--Grandmaster Larry Evans
"It's not nuclear physics. You always remember that. But if you write about sports long enough, you're constantly coming back to the point that something buoys people; something makes you feel better for having been there. Something of value is at work there...Something is hallowed here. I think that something is excellence."--Tom Callahan
