The Oklahoma City Thunder have been trying to free their All-Star point guard from the clutches of Utah’s defense for an entire series. They’ve posted him up. They’ve tried to create mismatches for him. They’ve run him through myriad of pick and rolls. Not much worked through four games.
His performance in keeping the Thunder alive in a first-round series against the Jazz will go down as one of the best in NBA playoff history. There were 45 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and five made 3-pointers. Most importantly, his sheer will impacted the game. The series felt Russell Westbrook for the first time.