The Houston Rockets were on the verge of knocking out the Oklahoma City Thunder and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals. They had them against the ropes and even had the lead in the fourth quarter and then… Russell Westbrook happened.
Westbrook missed a wide-open layup, air-balled a shot, and then had a late-game turnover that pretty much sealed a 104-100 win for the Thunder. Now, OKC and Houston have even odds to make it to the next round as they’ll face off in a Game 7.
Needless to say, that didn’t fly with bonafide hater Skip Bayless, who took it to Twitter to roast Westbrook for his poor decision-making and execution in the game:
LORD HAVE MERCY, Westbrook did it again! Another crazy turnover! Rockets had 'em. Westbrick gave it back.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) September 1, 2020
It was the same old story with Westbrook. He was rusty and coming off an injury that kept him sidelined for some time. He didn’t ease his way back into the game and looked out of control more often than not, scoring 17 on 15 shots with 7 turnovers and a +/- of -9.
He didn’t even look at James Harden when the game was on the line, just like it happened when he played with Kevin Durant, Paul George, or Carmelo Anthony. He wanted to take things into his own hands and prove that he can deliver in the playoffs and that may have cost his team a shot at the second round, and Bayless made sure to point that out as well:
Hate to say it, but Russell Westbrook is making it very difficult for the Rockets to overcome Westbrook's former team because of all his out-of-control turnovers and poor shots. He might have one more shot to redeem himself.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) September 1, 2020
There’s absolutely no doubt about Westbrook’s talent and impact. He’s one of the best players in the world for a reason. But he must learn from his mistakes once and for all or this will keep happening to him over and over.
