The NBA playoffs are here. The games are tighter, the lights are brighter, and the narratives are getting thick. It can be a lot to keep up with but don’t worry we’re here to help. Throughout the NBA postseason, FanSided will be gathering together some of the most talented writers from our network for a daily recap of our favorite stories from the night before.
Welcome to the Rotation.
From the mind of Russell Westbrook
Kevin Yeung | @KevinHFY | Hardwood Paroxysm
Hi. Russell Westbrook here. I bet you thought the Thunder were done after the first half of Game 1, after Steph Curry hit that buzzer-beater. These are the Golden State Warriors, and a 13-point halftime deficit against those guys must’ve seemed insurmountable.
Ahem.
Why believe in the Thunder, right? Dion Waiters keeps asking for the ball; Andre Roberson knows better. Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green paid them no mind, waiting for me in the paint instead. Aye, they gave me some trouble. I missed nine of my first ten shots. Turnovers abounded. Even Kevin Durant finished shooting 10-for-30 from the field, so I had to do it alone.
You know, in my time spent walking this earth, I’ve learned a thing or two about the fabric of life. Really, I’ve found that it can be boiled down to two simple things: what the world gives you, and what you throw back into the chaos. It really isn’t so hard, with an indestructible adamantium skeleton and regenerative healing factor. It happens that I also know a thing or two about Steph Curry. He would do more with less and pontificate upon every moment. So this seems like a problem of mathematics to me: I’ll do more with more.
Now, I don’t happen to have a box score handy — what did I score in the third quarter? I think it was 19 points? Was it five makes on nine attempts, seven of eight from the free throw line and two threes? Did three of my seven steals in the game come during that quarter? Did that happen to spark the comeback that led to the win? DID I SCALE THE WALLS OF ADVERSITY AND STARE DOWN THE BOTTOMLESS PIT KNOWING NO DOMAIN UNCONQUERABLE–
I write you now to tell you this: you can always go harder. The world dared Roberson to shoot, and he didn’t miss a shot. The world dared Dion to play smart, and he remade himself as a rugged 3-and-D wing. The world is always daring Westbrook, and Westbrook is Westbrook. What doesn’t kill you, you poster dunk into the next dimension. Seize the moment, live every day like it’s your last, and remember to press B for nitrous boost.
I eagerly await the opportunity to pop a wheelie on Steph Curry in the next three games of this series.
From the mind of Stephen Curry
Ian Levy | @HickoryHigh | FanSided
Hi. Stephen Curry here. I know what you’re thinking. I don’t look quite right. I made my threes but I missed some too, the ones I usually make with my eyes closed. Inside the arc, I wasn’t myself — a little too passive, a little too careless. I bet you’re listening to Westbrook crowing over there about strength and power and wrestling adversity to their ground and all that nonsense. You’re probably just wondering how my knee is feeling.
Not great.
You see a knee is a joint. Repetitive actions turn into repetitive stress and that leads to soreness. My knees are always sore because I’m a professional basketball player, a pretty good one in case you haven’t been paying attention. I didn’t miss those shots or throw those careless passes because my body was hurting. I certainly didn’t struggle because Westbrook is Westbrook or whatever bumper-sticker he’s trying to sell you. The flow just wouldn’t let me in tonight.
Those shots that I did make — remember that buzzer beater just before the half, or the time I scorched Kanter’s mustache off from 26 feet? — those were muscle memory, the vestiges of tens of thousands of driveway jumpers. I didn’t win two consecutive MVP awards with muscle memory. I won it by breaking through to another plane of basketball existence, transcending this ethereal plane and surrendering to the flow. In the place, the energy washes over you, pulls you through empty space, guides your crossovers, steers your bounce passes, and makes your shot the truest.
Stepping through is no joke though. If it was easy, everyone would do it. Right, Andre Roberson? Tonight, I just couldn’t get through, every time I reached across the void, the flow darted away from me. I guess now I know what it’s like to try and defend myself. The point is nothing is undone or unraveled. My metaphysical advantage still holds. Westbrook can be a battering ram all he wants, a battering ram does nothing against a brilliant beam of light.