It seems that practically every time Russell Westbrook detonates and the OKC Thunder still fall short, a referendum on his game must be held.
Russ says he couldn’t care less what those outside his locker room think, and that he competes harder than anyone else in the NBA.
Russell Westbrook's response to those who criticize the 43 shots pic.twitter.com/RmWkL3NSKj
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 13, 2015
Westbrook went off Sunday for 54 points in a 116-104 road loss to the Indiana Pacers, but needed a franchise-record 43 shot attempts to get his numbers.
Per the Indy Star:
Impeccably confident player that he is, Westbrook was having none of the discussion that maybe, just maybe, having one player take 43 shots was problematic. This is what he said, after pulling ice bags off his knees and scrolling through his red cell phone for the latest on social media.
“I don’t really give a damn what nobody thinks,” Westbrook said. “I compete harder than anybody in this league. My teammates don’t have a problem with it.”
“It was his show,” Pacers guard Donald Sloan said of Westbrook. “(The rest of the Thunder) were more spectators than anything. In the end it hurt them because (Westbrook) was one of the only guys going. They had two or three guys who were into it, and we had eight or nine guys. It’s hard to win games like that.” […] To be fair, the Thunder have been winning games like this since Kevin Durant suffered his season-ending foot injury in late February, with Westbrook earning Western Conference Player of the Month honors for February and March. He put the Thunder on his back and became an MVP candidate.
