While the Miami Heat won Game Four, it was a personal coming out party of sorts for Russell Westbrook, the 1A to Kevin Durant’s 1 on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster. The performance he put up in the Thunder’s losing effort in the Heat’s 104-98 victory was incredible, the sort of performance rarely displayed on the NBA’s biggest stage: the Finals.
Westbrook’s final line was sick. Forty three points. Seven rebounds. Five assists. He hit 20 of 32 field goals from the floor. Those are the sorts of the numbers that Hall of Fame candidates point to as proof that they gave their best when it mattered the most.
“I was just trying to stay in attack mode,” he said in the post-game conference. “Shots were falling, but it really doesn’t mean anything. We didn’t come out with a win.”
His teammates acknowledged that Westbrook became the focus since he was playing so well.
“He had it going since the beginning of the game, and when a guy has it going, we have to keep feeding him,” Kevin Durant said. “He was making shots and keeping us in the game and we just tried to play off of him.”
Now the Thunder have to hope that Westbrook’s performance will continue and that they can turn the tide. The odds are against them, but every player has shown an ability to rise up and be the star. The Thunder just have to put it all together.
For more on this 2012 NBA Finals, be sure to read our StoryStream here. Check outWelcome To Loud City for more on the Thunder and Peninsula Is Mightier for more on the Heat.