The “Cotton Shot”. Russell Westbrook and his father worked on it thousands and
thousands of times at their neighborhood park in Los Angeles. He has perfected
it and insisted on using it since he came into the NBA, and that pull-up jumper
from the elbow has become Westbrook’s signature shot.
It’s not the most efficient shot in the game for most players according to the
data, but Westbrook does things that can break the analytics. Tonight, against
the defending NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers, Westbrook did just, in a 118-109
Thunder victory.
Coming out of a timeout with 5:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, Westbrook
knocked down three straight jumpers from that crucial left elbow position on the
floor.
“They like to pack the paint, especially against me. That shot is usually open
most of the time,” Westbrook said. “It’s being able to be on balance, take it
and knock it down.”
Those buckets sparked a decisive 12-2 Thunder burst that featured stout defense
and some timely scores from teammates. After hitting those three straight
jumpers, the Cavaliers defense charged out to contest, leaving Westbrook with
better, easier ways to find his teammates. Right away, he hit Steven Adams on a
roll to the rim for a floater.
“My guy ending up committing to him 100 percent and he found me and I was able
to get a layup,” Adams explained.
“After you make a few in a row, they start to bring two people,” Westbrook said.
“Steven did a good job of rolling all game long.”
Two possessions later after an Adams block, Westbrook dropped off a pass to
Victor Oladipo who scored on a breakaway 360 layup to make it 111-101 with 2:08
to go.
The final nail came on another pick-and-roll that brought Westbrook to the
elbow. This time instead of staying home on Oladipo at the top of the key, the
Cavaliers crashed down to stop the rolling Adams. Westbrook slung a no-look pass
back out to his shooting guard, and Oladipo dropped down a three to make it
116-106 with 1:07 to go, sending Chesapeake Energy Arena into a frenzy.
“I knew he saw me,” said Oladipo, who scored 12 of his 23 total points in the
fourth quarter. “He did a great job of figuring out the way they were guarding
him, finding guys and it opened up a lot for him.”
The Thunder would have never been in position to take control in the fourth
quarter if it hadn’t been for Donovan’s rotations and the way the second unit
put the ball in the basket. The reserves defense was stout, but more than
anything it simply knocked down the types of shots it had been missing over the
past week. The most obvious example of this came in the form of Cameron Payne,
who hit six field goals on his way to a season-high 15 points.
“When he plays without thinking too much, he plays great,” Westbrook said of his
young point guard mentee. “I’m always happy to see a teammate do well, whether
it’s Cam or anybody else.”
All this description of the Thunder’s offense leaves out one crucial factor –
the team defense was outstanding for most of the night, even if the numbers
don’t look world-beating. In the fourth quarter the Thunder made two steals,
blocked three shots and turned three Cavaliers turnovers into four crucial
points.
“We made those defensive stops where we capitalized on it. Those showy ones, the
ones that are blatant,” Adams said of the fourth quarter. “Throughout the whole
game we did all the small things that made it difficult for the pace of their
offense to work.”
“We gave ourselves a chance,” guard Andre Roberson added. “We played great
halfcourt defense and we all played together.”
Andre Roberson was an absolute force in keeping the indomitable LeBron James in
check. The reigning NBA Finals MVP scored just 18 points on 19 field goal
attempts in 41 minutes of action. No one stops a player like James, but Roberson
takes on the responsibility of dealing with players of that caliber every single
night and handles it like a total pro.
“He’s ridiculous, honestly. He comes in every night and has to guard the best
player on their team,” Adams said of his fourth-year teammate Roberson. “He did
everything that the gameplan was. He did a great job.”
“When you’re playing against really good offense, great offense beats great
defense,” Donovan said. “But you’re not going to find any guy in this league who
makes it harder. Every possession he gives his heart and soul to playing
defense.”
By the Numbers
15 – Points for Cameron Payne on the night, a season-high, in addition to two
assists and a steal in 13 minutes
26 – Triple-doubles for Russell Westbrook, tying Oscar Robertson for the
third-most in a season, after a 29-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist evening,
18-for-31 – Combined shooting numbers for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo, who
totaled 43 points together tonight
The Last Word
“Everybody is this locker room has done a great job of adding different things
to their game. Coming in, watching film, getting better every day, working hard
and working on their game every day. That’s what constantly keeps us going. Guys
have done a great job all season long. I’m just happy and blessed that these
guys are on my team.” – point guard Russell Westbrook
