Westbrook, greeting the stands of Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook I returned this past dawn to Oklahoma City. The All-Star base, MVP of the 2016-2017 season, was transferred in summer to Houston Rockets ending more than a decade as a Thunder player, with whom he came to play the NBA Finals in 2012.
His stage as an Oklahoma City player was marked, first, by the great potential of the team, with James Harden, Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka in their ranks and the feeling that they can get some ring together. Unfortunately for the franchise, Harden ended up in Houston and Durant decided to change airs in 2016 and sign for the Golden state warriors, who come from a season of 73 wins and 9 losses and beat the Thunder in the Western Conference final.
Friends during a decade, that decision of Durant completely changed his relationship with Westbrook and began a reconstruction phase in the franchise. The base lasted two more years in Oklahoma, but finally its transfer to the Rockets is consumed after not going far in the Playoffs and announcing the departure of Paul George, another All-Star, to the Clippers.
This morning, Westbrook played for the first time as a visitor at the Chesapeake Arena from Oklahoma City. Time for tributes, comparisons and claims. Like the one his ex-partner did Kendrick Perkins, pvot that defended the colors of the Thunder for several seasons and that considers Westbrook “the best player in franchise history“ahead of Kevin Durant. The former player, now a television commentator, made the comment on Twitter, and added that during the Playoffs that Westbrook had been injured, Durant had not been able to take the team beyond the second round. Durant, now in the Brooklyn Nets, did not hesitate to answer: “S. Our pvot (Perkins) averaged a whopping 2 points and 3 rebounds during that tie. You played hard champion. “
Ah began the fight. “You made the weakest movement in the history of the NBA. Lose against a team when you were winning 3-1 in a conference final and join them the following season? Champion heart, “Perkins replied.” Weak is to start the game, play important minutes and not have any production. You should have worked on your game as much as I did, “Durant replied. And the thing was not there.” That's fine. You worked hard and yet you had to join a team that had made 73-9. It has to be hard to sleep knowing that you chose the cowardly option, “Perkins concluded.
Meanwhile, in the Chesapeake Arena, in a very sentimental environment, Westbrook scored 34 points but could not avoid the defeat of some Rockets (117-92) in which Harden only contributed 17 points. In front, some Thunder who are setting a better season than the one made by the team last year, when Westbrook was still leading the franchise. Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who arrived this summer in the transfer of Paul George, added 23 and 20 points, by 18 Chris Paul, which Houston gave, along with several draft elections, in exchange for Westbrook.
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