Before he became the dynamic starting point guard for the Houston Rockets, Russell Westbrook was carrying the Oklahoma City Thunder to playoff appearances on his back. After Kevin Durant departed at the end of the 2016 season, Westbrook was still able to lead them to the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately for Russ, the number-three seed Houston Rockets were on a roll and lying in wait, boasting the second-best offense in the NBA. James Harden was coming off a regular season in which he put up 29.1 points, 11.