After closing the regular season on a 10-5 stretch, the Washington Wizards seemed ready to handle business against the short-handed Celtics on Tuesday.
Instead, they came out flat from the beginning, losing to Boston in a blowout that saw Jayson Tatum drop 50 points.
Perhaps the most disappointing player for Washington was Russell Westbrook, who seemed lethargic, uninspired, and lost unimpactful on the floor. As the final buzzer sounded, Russ was already headed back to the locker room, and fans were blazing him with all kinds of criticism.
https://twitter.com/GOBBY799/status/1394855072148779011
#Wizards fans experiencing playoff Westbrook for the first time pic.twitter.com/BsP4yebjg8
— Paul Landefeld (@plandefeld410) May 19, 2021
Couple of garbage time buckets for Westbrook but he’s been bad tonight. Sort of like he’s been in about half his career playoff games. Never will understand his fan boys. #TatumOnTheOtherHandDamn
— Colin Cowherd (@colincowherd) May 19, 2021
All the triple doubles in the world.. Haven't been a playoff performer since 2017. pic.twitter.com/bqcV7CEqF9
— ⁑ (@FroJay__) May 19, 2021
i like westbrook but this was a predictable game from him
— d (@growup_dk) May 19, 2021
https://twitter.com/RussTakeover/status/1394865963393245185
Westbrook’s final stat line? 20 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers per game on 33% shooting.
In the end, it’s clear that Russ did not play his best game tonight, no doubt contributing to the Wizards’ loss.
Even more damning for Russ is his history. In OKC and Houston, he was only able to make the Finals once, back in 2012, when they lost to the Miami Heat.
So is Russ just unable to step up in the playoffs? Is it just bad luck?
Whatever the case, fans are growing restless, and it won’t be good for Russ at all if the Wizards somehow lose again to Indiana on Thursday.
Let’s wait and see how he responds.
