Source close to Westbrook believe he was made out to be a scapegoat for Houston's playoff meltdown

Harden didnt suck, go check his stats.

 

It's almost like being the best player on the team, a franchise player if you will, comes with loftier expectations. Players come and go.... but the constant has been Harden.

 

Right, but being a scapegoat kinda indicates that no one else could have done anything better. If Dort outplayed Harden for a few more seconds, the Rockets are kicked out of the playoff and no one ever takes Harden seriously again.

 

he was spoon fed that game. especially by sucking like a 20% shooter he is in every game before and that he is in reality. but those don't matter apparently. if this or that doesnt matter. fluke game of his life. still took an L. next

 

well if you want to break it down his turnovers were largely due to being out of sync and out of rhythm due to missing the restart training camp then having to sit or weeks with a leg injury. He had no time to get into form. Let’s all also add in the lakers are the best team in the league and it’s the playoffs not a regular season game. I guess you will all ignore the Rockets were one of the lowest if not the lowest turnover teams in the league post trade. Westbrook is being scapegoated because the truth is we wouldn’t beat them anyway. They are a better more versatile team on both ends.

 

House, IMO, was 1a why we lost that series, if Westbrook was #1.

He was more important than we realized. When we was kicked out, our depth collapsed and we lost the versatility he brings.

But Westbrook, even if he wasn’t 100%, it just goes to show you his game is entirely athleticism. I’ve said for some time he needs to sit down with Vince Carter and map out a new future for himself. Even with declining athleticism, he will still be above average and can be useful if he adds old man skills.

 

If I had a 100 million dollars I would invite ya all on my private jet. If, if and more ifs.
Facts are Russ has never got out of the first round without KD or Harden. Facts are Russ was a massive net negative every time he came on the floor. Fact, Russ plays out of control .Fact Russ is a terrible shooter. Fact he is a turnover machine.

 

False narrative. How do you explain him sucking in the playoff the last three years, he's always made dumb plays like this.

 

Please tell Russ to ignore the string 'scape' and the world will look better again

 

How about all throughout his career?If his dumb plays were only isolated to the bubble sure, but this guy has been all throughout his career.

 

That would require him to suddenly develop a brain.

 

Smiled all the way home.

Dort contained Harden, by no means did he stop him.

What other player averages 30 in a series and is considered "stopped"?

Silly national media Trumpist take. Keep repeating lies ad nauseum to alter perception of reality.

 

2020 NBA playoffs

Westbrook
89 O
106 D
-17

W/S
-.043

VORP
-0.1

Harden
122 O
107 D
+15

W/S
.253

VORP
1.3

You don't know what you are talking about..........

 

Russ clearly played poorly for the past four years of playoffs because of COVID. Not has fault.

 

LOL

Could not win the basketball argument so now grasping at straws.

Your anti-Harden agenda is vile.

 

Westrbook is a cancer and he always has been.

Counting stat nonsense.

 

It really doesn't matter, that's the point I'm trying to hammer home. Dort showed up when his team needed him. They didn't even need him to shoot 3s, but he did. He was out there for defense, anything they got from him was extra.

You know like how Rondo started draining open shots despite the 'stats' saying he couldn't do that? That's often what playoff ball comes down to. The fact is, people don't want to hear it, this team with Harden had chances to go to the finals and blew every chance.

And if people think Harden doesn't get ANY blame for that then I don't know. It's odd to me. People will trash Altuve, Correa, and them boys when they don't deliver.

People will trash Watson when he doesn't deliver.

But when it's Harden, shush, look at the stats. Look at his efficiency. Shush, nevermind the team built a brickhouse against the Warriors and then the next year got kicked out by the same team but without Durant.

Meanwhile, behind Lebron, the Lakers crappy shooters shot better than most teams when it counted and played lockdown defense.

Truth is, take away westbrook, fine. Rockets still lose. Add CP3 instead...Rockets still lose. Harden wasn't beating Lebron-AD and a better coached team, a smarter team, ain't happening.

 

Do you see the irony here? You are the one trying to scapegoat Harden for Russ stinking it up.

 

Harden won it by blocking Dort in the end.

 

it does matter. so you're saying none of the games mattered prior to his fluke game?

Rondo has become a respectable shooter for awhile now. Only casuals that don't keep up with the game had the lazy take of he sucks at shooting. I've posted that on several occasions. You were really surprised he could hit wide open shots? I wasn't. Dude is an established nba vet and nba champion. There's a reason for it. I said all series long they should be guarding him like he's Dort. hes been a cerebral player his entire career. And look what happened