Everyone had their eyes on that first possession with Russell Westbrook guarding Ricky Rubio. Westbrook checked Rubio defensively the entire length of the court. Pushing, being physical, and getting in his face. That was the tone the Oklahoma City Thunder wanted to set. They wanted to be physical, intimidating, bullies, dirty, and petty. It didn’t help them one iota. For a team lacking playoff experience, All-Stars, and—supposedly—talent, the Utah Jazz looked every bit the part of the veteran, star laden team.
If you take a look at shooting you might be fooled into believing that Russell Westbrook “shut down that ****” when it came to Ricky Rubio’s game.