Russell Westbrook smokes the layup and then fouls at the buzzer to ruin Jokic’s 61/10/10 night and lose the game
westbrook with triple digit IQ is a top 15 all time player
Not shown was him getting into yet another argument with a random fan right after this lol
Okay but they swapped two whole letters in his last name!
You’re insulting his family, don’t you see? His grandfather was in masonry!
Westbrook is the guy they’re talking about when they say “the best American athletes don’t grow up playing soccer”
Him and Tyreek Hill lol
Tangential, but I’m not convinced that American soccer’s problem is a lack of athletes. Plenty of guys who’re just as tall, fast, and agile as players from better countries–the real gap is skill.
Yes I think that’s what he’s saying lol
The average soccer player is like 5’8, 140 lbs and people think the US isn’t better at soccer because LeBron isn’t playing it
The reason is how poor youth development is in US soccer
The reason is that soccer is just not that popular in the US so the top athletes dont play soccer. You cant convince me Steph or Jerry Rice wouldnt have been amazing soccer players if the time spent was developing soccer skills instead. And really its the athletes with higher soccer upside that tried football or basketball and flamed out because they were too small. It all comes back to the popularity and the attention it gets from youth athletes. Doesnt mean their arent program issues, but their are major youth program issues in every sport. AAU is awful. Youth baseball destroys pitchers before they become adults. Youth football created entire generations with brain damage.
I don’t remember who said this (Bomani Jones, maybe?), but the point made sense to me: Americans really overrate athleticism and cross-sport ability. It’s often used as a catch-all explanation for a decline or lack of elite talent in any sport, even when it doesn’t make sense.
You hear it as an explanation for the decline of the American male tennis player, even though the physical profile and socioeconomic background that produce elite tennis players are still pretty much intact and aren’t being siphoned off by another sport.
Soccer requires highly specific skills, and athleticism is only a small part of it. Steph Curry was about as likely to become an elite soccer player as Ronaldo was to become an elite basketball player.
If anything, I’d argue it’s soccer that develops certain attributes that translate well to basketball. Remember that Hakeem Olajuwon, who was an average teenage soccer player, didn’t pick up a basketball until he was 17 and went on to revolutionize the NBA with a level of footwork the sport arguably hasn’t seen up to that point.
Hakeem Olajuwon left Nigeria because he got a scholarship for being a 7 foot tall human that could play basketball.
This is a bad example in this context when we’re talking about bell curves and where the country sends it best athletes lol
There’s definitely a few of these stories, Embiid for example, where a tall kid didn’t pick up a basketball until much older but then still is able to develop the skill to compete in the NBA.
I think the problem with youth soccer is that it’s so expensive in the US compared to other countries. When it becomes a difficult choice for a family to send their kid into soccer, you’re actively siphoning off potential talent in a way that other countries don’t. Add that to the underdeveloped skillset in the US vs. abroad and you have the issue we have on the global stage.
Americans really overrate athleticism and cross-sport ability.
….
Just incredible to post these two statements in the same comments and not realize how silly it is.
“It’s easier to go from soccer to basketball because a 7 footer was better at basketball than soccer” is not just a terrible argument, but just making that argument also completely undermines your initial dig about Americans.
There’s just no glory in American soccer. Kids don’t grow up working hard trying to be Messi because they grow up trying hard to be an NBA or NFL player.
A high school football game in Texas can draw a bigger crowd than MLS matches. There’s money to be made in college football and basketball.
And that’s even before we get into the monetization of youth sports leagues.
You cant convince me Steph or Jerry Rice wouldnt have been amazing soccer players if the time spent was developing soccer skills instead.
They just might not have been though. You don’t know how good they would have been at controlling a ball with their feet.
Sure they would’ve been better than 99% of the population because they are so athletic compared to normal people, but there’s a huge difference between that and being one of the best 50 players in the world.
It doesn’t really matter if it’s soccer or anything else. There could be a world where Steph commits to golf and is Tiger Woods. Or where Jerry Rice is one of the greatest outfielders in MLB history. There might be a world where Conor McDavid is a phenomenal soccer player.
Each sport casts a different sized net and they can only catch who they catch. Soccer’s net in the US is just so small because there’s less incentive.
Sure. Which is why I said so many other things too. Though hand eye and foot eye coordination do tend to go together for the most part.
Yeah I don’t think anyone disagrees that if the US had way more people play soccer eventually it would start to produce good players. The misconception IMO is that if you took GOATs of American sports and got them to play soccer they would definitely be a great.
To put it this way, how likely is it that Jerry Rice would’ve been the best soccer player out of everyone who has played WR at the college level since 1980? There would be 100,000 people who fit that description and almost all of them athletic enough to be a good soccer player. There is almost no shot he would’ve been the best one.
The misconception IMO is that if you took GOATs of American sports and got them to play soccer they would definitely be a great.
I don’t think this is a common take though. The more common take I’ve heard is that all those 5’10” D3 cornerbacks and point guards in HS/college, who’ll just end up working desk jobs and not pursue pro sports, might have become good soccer players if soccer culture were stronger in the US. I think there’s a large pool of people who essentially check out of a pro sports career path if they’re not great at or athletic enough for one of the popular American sports (football, basketball, baseball)… and that pool could be replete with potential talent for soccer.
you’re using strong language here
it’s not a misconception.
we’re not talking about GOATs.
using the word “definitely” is just adding bullshit lol
I think this is the 2nd layer. You have guys that are the best athletes like Russ and then you have guys like Steph who spent their 10,000 hours shooting their shot.
The average height of the tallest teams during the world cup is around 6’2, for the US it was 6’. The guy who made the biggest splash this world cup and considered the best pure scorer today is Haaland at 6’5.
The comments you replied to reference Westbrook and Tyreek Hill, nliterally no one mentions LeBron
so they were wrong about height, are they wrong about the featherweight average too? lmao
And yet the US women’s team dominates.
Boys in the US simply do not grow up dreaming about being the next soccer star. They dream about being Michael, or Kobe, or Steph, even as football is the most popular sport by far, the NBA has the truly transcendent individual stars.
Because youth development for women’s soccer internationally is even worse, lol.
It’s not that difficult, men’s soccer is a major sport internationally and women’s is a minor one. Meanwhile it’s roughly middle of the pack for both genders in the US.
Who gives a shit what the average is? Many of the top end guys are just bigger, stronger, faster. They are also incredibly skilled, but when you add the athleticism on top of that that is how you get greatness.
It’s not necessarily because LeBron isn’t playing it; it’s the thousands of other young athletes that spend their developmental years playing football, basketball and baseball & flame out because their not tall or strong or good enough who might have been developed into strong soccer players.
It’s moot, the US will never be a great soccer nation and there’s nothing wrong with being top ~25ish in a sport you don’t allocate a lot of resources toward
I dont think the first half of your sentence agrees with the second half lol
its like you figured it out but came to the wrong conclusion anyway
There’s definitely a skill gap, and it’s not going to be closed because our best athletes are more interested in a variety of other sports which pay significantly more.
Uhh… who ever said otherwise? That’s the most mainstream, obvious take. Skill organically comes from a vibrant soccer culture; where the US falls short vs. Europe/South America.
Why them specifically?
Tyreek Hill because he is(was) still competitive in track and field events in the off-season after taking a decade off. He earned the “Cheetah” nickname before that, too.
Russ just because he was usually the best athlete on the court in his prime. If you had to pick somebody to run a marathon and still be able to dunk at the end, it’d be that guy.
LeBron is a finely tuned athletic machine but I don’t know if he fits the profile of a soccer player.
Have they considered that basketball is more fun?
Fox should have hired Mike Breen
Telemundo had it figured out
mike breen: shot BLOCKED BY VOZINHA
Ngl, Bron as a striker is terrifying, assuming he has the football skills, isn’t that just a mix of Mbappe and Haaland?
At his height and size he’s just not going to have that level of football skills though lol
You develop the fundamentals before you are 10. Height and size don’t matter.
But some guys here are completely right about WB could do wonder in football with a little bit of game IQ : with his size and his vert, on a specific role of a 9 camping into the box, he could be one of the perfect heading machine. That would be accounting for great positioning skill and a certain sense of the game. Otherwise he would be a killer striker …
Stop trying to rage bait
Tyreek Hill does domestic violence. Russ seems like a standup guy. Idk if I’d compare them.
This comparison has to be qualified with “in terms of athleticism and sports IQ”.
Tyreek Hill is a terrible human being. Russ has been a consistent, positive off-court personality for 15+ years.
I guess that’s fair. I’m also assuming anybody that gets a hypothetical ‘triple digit IQ’ is making better choices. Bar isnt set high lol
people who say this kinda stuff dont understand that raw athelticism doesnt translate the same in soccer/football
the point is the best raw athletes in the US aren’t playing soccer
He’s probably the only guy with top 10 passing ability that also has terrible pass selection. It’s like he can see every road and wants to take all of them
He’ll try every pass in the book, which makes for incredibly sick highlights but also makes for truly boneheaded turnovers.
Accurate.
So Hornets/Pelicans CP3
this would have turned me into the joker if it was my team
This was my first nugget game in person being a fan for over a decade I witnessed history
My first Vikings game was the Micheal Vick walk off touchdown run. I remember the air being sucked out of the stadium when he split the two defenders. Everyone knew he was gone.
that’s what happened to Jokic
It was my team for a little bit and I actually don’t think I’ve ever been the same.
It’s insane how people act like Lakers fans are just salty haters about Russ.
It genuinely seems forgotten to the annals of time just how bad Russ was there.
Just an unholy amalgamation of ego, stubborness, and refusal to take accountability.
His “let’s all just have fun” speech after LeBron tore the team a new one was absolutely hilarious. He was just determined to undermine his star player as much as possible.
But have you tried “using him correctly?”
Russ did this to every team he ever played on, also. Frequently in the playoffs. But it’s excused because “he plays hard”.
Something something his community service and donations
Always cracks me up when you criticize Westbrook’s on-court play and off-court comportment, Russ stans oftentimes just start talking about how he’s a great guy who does community service work.
Like sure that’s great, but that’s not the fucking topic at hand lmao.
Insert jokicgrabbingjwill.gif
I was at this game. I was grouchy for a week after
imagine me, first ever in person NBA game :(
This and the video of kawhi dropping to his knees when Westbrook didn’t pass him the ball during the closing moments
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/17ip6ch/alternative_angle_of_kawhi_leonard_falling_to_his/
😭
Why would he get clowned for this. He got the offensive rebound and there was literally no time left on the clock.
I think he was pointing at Batum, who was behind him. The Jazz player noticed Batum though and he was racing out to him, so I’m not 100% sure he would have got a good shot even though he looked wide open.
He definitely would have. Someone else posted the still photo below. It’s hilarious.
https://imgur.com/StIpAQN
Plenty of time left on the clock, it didn’t go to 0 until his airball was actually under the rim.
It’s either a hating on Westbrick thread or a praising WestGOAT thread, there is no in between for the Brodie.
Kwahi :
I CANT HANDLE THIS GUY ANYMORE
https://i.imgur.com/StIpAQN.jpg
Plenty of time to get the ball to a wide open Batum for a chance to win.
Why is this not the top post in this thread?
Because he had 2.8 second left? That is plenty of time.
The clock was running out. No way Kawhi would have been able to get a shot off.
I think Kawhi was just frustrated at the loss, but the visual is just funny lol
lol just goes to show how much people hate Russ because even the comments on that post are vindicating him. He’s washed and blew the nuggets game but that clippers game was not his fault
Wrong interpretation, Kawhi’s knees just logged off.
lol + Batum with hands out ready to shoot the open shot
This one isn’t fair there was only two seconds left he got the rebound all he can do is get a shot up
OMG thank you so much hahahahahahaha
Losing to those hideous jerseys adds insult to injury
There’s also that time Westbrook intentionally fouled in the 2012 Finals, despite the Thunder not needing to foul.
Just looks worse every time you rewind.
Like you didn’t even brick the layup. You didn’t get the ball over the goal. Didn’t give yourself a chance.
Similar on defense, you freight trained at the guy and didn’t even make a pretend effort to miss.
This is how I play when I don’t have my inhaler. I’m out of breath watching this.
Gets back late on defense since he was complaining about a non existent foul to save face from the embarrassment of missing a wide open layup too lol
That was the worst part. The way he blew the layup then just stood there. Fuck are you doing?
Could any denver fan remind me of more context, what were the playoff implications of this game?
there wasn’t much playoff implication because lakers were one win ahead and had the tiebreaker on us, so they punted the final game and ended up as the same record as us but a higher (3rd seed)
But a win would’ve prevented a regular season sweep by wolves
None immediately as we were in the 3rd seed, but this did spark a four-game losing streak that led to Malone and Booth getting fired and almost finishing in the play-in.
What an all time sequence
it has a bonus part where he argued with a fan after the game lol. truly a westbrick classic
…and that last sequence, in the final 15 seconds, is one of the greatest sequences, your ever see, in any sport…
Bob Costas
MITWestbrook: Only Russ could get the late steal and get out to the three point shooter.
One of the craziest games I’ve been to. I was texting buddies who were watching on TV asking if there was a call at the end because all the fans were cheering thinking it was over but the wolves bench was hyped.
I understand why he went for the layup on the moment but man this was brutal
It was a wide open layup, I’ll take that every time over getting fouled and hoping to make both and knocking an extra 3-5 seconds off the clock in a 10 second game when Minny has a timeout.
A wide open Westbrook layup though…
Have you seen him shoot FTs?
Westbrook has a higher career free throw percentage than Lebron and you’d never say this about Lebron shooting free throws lmfao
Nobody is worried about Lebron taking a wide open layup. Most good players aren’t worried about taking this shot.
I absolutely would. LeBron has missed a lot of late game FTs.
in the last five seasons Westbrook is shooting 66.7% from the FT line. LeBron is shooting 75.8%
this is dishonest. westbrooks free throws the last like 8 years are way worse than bron
Holy shit if I was a brand new fan coming into this thread I’d think Westbrook was the worst player of all time and also a literal terrorist. I think people need to chill a bit
Yeah, what the hell is going on in here? He was one of the most exciting players to watch for a decade in this game we claim to love, and at the end of his career we are just gonna rag on him? Why? What do people get out of this?
It is absolutely the correct play to take the layup in this situation. Russ isn’t a great free throw shooter and it’s a wide open lay. You just have to make it
Unlike Fox in Game 4 of the Finals, Westbrook isn’t a good FT shooter, so it makes sense why he’d rather go for a layup instead.
Westbrook actually has a higher career FT% than Fox, although Fox’s has trended upward recently while Westbrook’s has trended downward. Westbrook is 77.1% career while Fox is 74.7%
Somewhere, De’Aaron Fox was watching this and got inspired
tbf to Fox while his brainfart was arguably worse bc of time and score compared to here, he had a legit wide open breakaway unlike w Russ who had players running with him the whole way, he prob just autopiloted not thinking OG was gonna make the insane recovery play
Fox didn’t have a wide open breakaway, but at least he thought he had a wide open breakaway.
I’m pretty sure Fox got fouled before the block. Only way OG could get to him. But that often doesn’t get called in the last few seconds of a playoff game.
I remember seeing a Russ fan under a Fox thread saying he would never do something like what DeAaron Fox did in Game 4
Wolves vs Nuggets always up to some bullshit lmao
You guys are basically the Super Bowl for neutral fans
“Can’t you just be normal?”
* Wolves and Nuggets players in the backseat screaming insanely *
This game took years off my life
I don’t want to be a hater but it’s unbelievable to me that some people still think he could help an actual contender. Bad shooter, bad finisher, bad IQ but wants to be the hero. The bad with Westbrook has been outweighing the good for a while
You’re not a hater at all, it’s just the truth. If he could contribute he’d have been signed by now
Most Westbrook sequence of events of all time.
yeah. my intro to him was those Durant OKC playoff runs where Russ would spend the last 5min of a critical game missing shots and drives while the scoring champion Durant was wide open on the floor.
I fell to my knees in despair when he fouled NAW, one of the greatest games I’ve seen Jokic play now a loss because of Westbrook’s recklessness.
NAW flexing after the second free throw is imprinted in my brain. Gorilla Nuts type of moment
Perfection.
Then he show up with a schoolgirl dress on the next day and be like why people call me westbrick.
Cant wait to leave the West, this Divison is always on bullshit💀
Bro was wide open
Who would ever do that?
https://youtu.be/b0sfOUTvruI?si=PmYLpXFIJ02e9XDU
He be doing that sometimes
This is the classic Westbrook experience. Great steal and then smokes the layup and doesn’t even look behind him at the wide open guy until it’s too late.
I’ll miss the MIT Westbrook posts
I’m not shocked that no one wants to sign him now, but I’ve been shocked that he’s been in the league for the past few seasons.
This dude wants to get signed and be a key contributor? My guy now u just gaslighting me.
Most selfish, stupid, insecure player in the league. He’s an all time great in all three categories.
He is the dumbest star player I have ever seen
I understand why people like Westbrook.
But the people who pretend like Westbrook isn’t one of the most stupid players ever, I don’t know what to tell them, lmao.
Because we watch more than highlights.
He is a master manipulator, like, last season he was picking apart any defense to force feed some Raynaud guy. Best interior passer of our generation easy, maybe Wall and CP are close.
His 5% dumb plays are spectacular though - happy to admit that too.
his post entry passes to Jokić were something else, turned jok into a scoring machine
“We watch more than highlights”, were you not there to watch him get absolutely dogged on by Ricky Rubio, while the team he was supposed to be leading got dismantled by a rookie Mitchell and Rudy Gobert? lol.
My Jazz have a history of embarrassing playoff losses, and yet they still easily took down the Westbrook lead Thunder without much playoff experience whatsoever, lol.
Aaron Gordon credits Westbrook for making the right play to the open man in playoff game winner
Highlight waching children will downvote you for fun.
Russ is a top 5 passer of our generation but tiktok brains see a clip and do a seal clap for likes
Or maybe as a Thunder fan you’re biased and nostalgic? I unfortunately watched many full games of him post KD chucking every team he’s on out of games. If anything the highlight watchers massively overrate him. He’s genuinely difficult to watch on a play to play basis, he’s just so out of control.
And people are confused why teams never want him back
Two of his teammates putting their faces in their hands makes this that much funnier
And that is why Russ won’t be on a team.
I’ll never forget watching this game live. Had me sick to my stomach.
I can’t believe he did this when jokic had that statline what a jerk
i loved this moment
man I remember watching this shit live lmfao. such a ridiculous finish
When someone asks you why people consider Westbrook to he one of the most overrated players of all time, just point them at this clip.
How could LeBron do this to him
All I see in here is a bunch of dick eating. People acting like Russ is garbage when he’s better than 99.9% of anyone who has touched a basketball. Especially the same people making the comments 💀
Classic westbrick, good old time
“As cold as ice” 🎶
I thought, no way WB does this, has to be clickbait… nope, this is as bad a bonehead set of plays I have ever seen in my life… even peak Javale didnt dare to do this.
“why are they calling me westbrick?”
Now post the last play by Westbrook in G1 vs Thunder in the playoff and read the comments over again. Everyone makes mistakes. While Westbrook statistically may have made more on average, he is not the 100% pure dumbass like the comments suggest. He actually contributed quite a lot to Denver during the year.
This is actually worse than I remember, wow. Legit from awful to the worst thing
Holee this was primo Westbrook Experience lol
Second hand embarrassment 😳
Westbrick.
Hey look, it’s the moment broke me on Westbrook…
I was so angry at this
You gotta get beat up in the locker room after some shit like this. Inexcusable imo.
Watched this live, as a neutral, and literally screamed when I saw this happen. I am a Westbrook defender 9⁄10 times but this is one of the worst things a basketball player has ever done on the court
That’s why he’s called Westbrick lol
Terrible fucking defense.
That was the Russ experience. He won then as few games too. But man, he had some real “bonehead” moments as well. “Russ Giveth and Russ Taketh.”
lmao this was the first thing I thought of when I saw that other westbrook thread
Russ is a generational stat stuffer, terrible if you actually want to win
I remember watching this happen in real time with my mouth agape
We had people in our sub this last season crying he wasn’t on the team anymore lol
Nuggets fans claiming Westbrook had “unlocked” Jokic.
I still think about this at least once a week
Why is it not Christian Braun’s fault for not scoring himself when Russ pushed the ball forward to him?
This was brutal to watch happen.
Russ is garbage
At what point does Russell’s name come up in these gambling investigations because you can make a highlight video of some very indictable plays over the past few seasons.
My GOAT sleeper agent
God I love the Wolves-Nuggets rivalry so much. Iirc this is also the game where Westbrook was clowning Rudy super hard for airballing two free throws, going “he did it again!”, only to then brick two clutch layups and have wolves fans use the “he did it again” gif against him mercilessly. Between losing this rivalry and the East slowly getting better I’m starting to re-think whether I even want us to move to the East with expansion. But I’m also a late night person so the start times are fine with me.
“Live by the Brook, Die by the Brook”
A worse version of Godwin’s horrible sequence to end the half (and his lakers tenure).
Bro pulled a De’Aaron fox
This was a brutal week
If I remember this, Russ fouled the shooter and they made their free throws and won the game. Just brain dead play at the end.
PEAK Westbrick.
Dad, why does everyone call me Westbrick at school?
His jersey should be in the rafters
Westbrook is the most overrated player I’ve ever seen play the game. Straight 🗑️
So this was like Fox’s play that he could’ve just held the ball.
I swear a majority of you guys jerk off to bad Westbrook clips