Let's make one thing clear before I say anything else: Russell Westbrook is one of the greatest and most unique pure basketball players of all time.
Few people could match Westbrook's unbridled enthusiasm, explosiveness, versatility, and intensity at his peak. He will, one day, be immortalized as a legend. His laundry list of achievements, consistent night-to-night approach, and immense contributions to the game deserve as much. There's a reason he has such a massive, dedicated following. It's so easy to get enamored by his personal brand of basketball.
Sometimes, though, I fear we're succumbing to recency bias and losing the plot on how Westbrook will ultimately be remembered. Westbrook's unfortunate role in the Denver Nuggets' double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night is a classic example of this tragic phenomenon.
Let's not mince words.
In the NBA's biggest game of the season to date, did Westbrook choke? Did he let the heat of the moment get the best of him? Did his most famous playing attribute — a relentless, infectious motor that quite literally never stops — come back to bite him and the Nuggets in the worst possible way? Did he spoil Nikola Jokic's historic 60-point triple-double in less than 30 seconds?
Yes, yes, yes, and absolutely yes.
Westbrook is a 17-year NBA veteran and former MVP who fumbled away a win in a fashion we haven't seen in a long time. How does someone as experienced as him even consider pushing the ball up the floor to take (and smoke) a layup after stealing the inbounds pass while protecting a one-point lead? How does someone who has basically spent half of his life playing NBA basketball get caught ball-watching before committing the cardinal sin of fouling a 3-point shooter with the game on the line?
These are basketball fundamentals. These are the kinds of backbreaking mistakes from a rookie who has never faced a clutch situation before.
I know what you might be thinking. Calling a foul at that moment is a little weak and pretty soft. But a veteran like Westbrook should know better than to give referees an opportunity to call any kind of foul. Don't give them any leeway. Don't give them an opportunity to call anything. Just don't do it.
This was Westbrook blinking in an epic staring contest in what might have been the worst sequence of his entire career:
A FOUL ON THE FINAL THREE-POINT SHOT 😱
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 2, 2025
THIS SEQUENCE IS INSANE. pic.twitter.com/IBysO7j0Em
If you're a Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers fan, you probably watched the end of this game feeling a measure of vindication. You likely thought this is who Westbrook has always been: a reckless and chaotic freelancer who loses his composure when the lights get too bright. You were all too happy to see him, once again, get ...
