Also, it looks like you were correct about Westbrook. He may just end up never winning the big one. Although, it really looked like he was going to make you look foolish for a few days there.
Walter Kovacs: I have a confession: I was wrong.
Flashback to last Monday, you
and I were discussing the finals, and I gave you my hot take- that Russell
Westbrook and the Thunder will never win a title as currently
constructed. My premise was that what Westbrook brings to the table:
scoring, confidence, speed set to Ludicrous- is also what keeps his team from winning: selfishness,
irrational confidence, and out of control play. I believe I compared him
to a Greek tragic hero- that what makes him great is also his fatal flaw. OKC
then proceeded to make me look like an idiot by going up 3 games to 1 on what
might be one of the best teams in NBA history.
And even though the Thunder
ultimately faltered, I don’t think I was right. Sure Westbrook has limitations,
but it wasn’t those limitations that cost them the series. I don’t think
it was anything that the Thunder did- they played great. I think they
ended up playing the role of the mid 90’s Utah Jazz. Stockton and Malone
are all-time greats, but they never won the big one. They had
limitations, but it wasn’t their inherent limitations that put a championship
out of reach, it was Michael freakin’ Jordan. They way Steph and Klay
shot in games 6 and 7, I don’t know that any team could have done better than
what the Thunder did. Westbrook didn’t win, but I don’t think that makes
me right. In a year where they get a few breaks, or don’t go up against 2
of the best shooters in history, what Westbrook brings is enough for a
ring. This just wasn’t that year.
CM: Wow. A stunning turn of events.
But I think you’re probably right. People are talking about how the Thunder choked this series away, but, at the end of the regular season, if you had told me that the Thunder would beat the Spurs and take the Warriors to game 7, I would have said it was a phenomenal job by Westbrook and Durant. The Warriors are the defending champs, and just finished the best regular season in NBA history. They have a the 2 time defending MVP, including the first unanimous MVP. Blaming the Thunder for losing in 7, is like blaming my 3 year old niece for losing to me in basketball this weekend up at the cabin.
WK: Ultimately, there are a lot of legacy questions for great players that will be decided in the next few years. Westbrook and Durant may be this generation’s Stockton and Malone, unless they can win a title- together or separately depending on how free agency shakes out. Lebron only has the 2 titles from his Miami years, and his title window is closer to the end than the beginning. If he finishes with just 2, wouldn’t that be considered a huge disappointment given his talents? Is Steph starting a dynasty or is it lightning in a bottle? If Golden State repeats, and stays together, a lot of great players may not get rings. If Golden State loses, Lebron’s legacy gets A LOT stronger. Throw in free agency, a rising salary cap that gives everybody tons of money to throw at guys, and the trend towards superstar team-ups straight out of a Marvel cross-over event, and the next few years could be really interesting in the NBA- starting right now. I for one am looking forward to how it all plays out.
