Warriors get embarrassed: Four things to know
By Ian Levy
Russell Westbrook has been the MVP
Stephen Curry may have been the MVP of the regular season, but Russell Westbrook has owned the first three games of the Conference Finals. Even with his atrocious first half in Game 1, the voluminous nature of his statistical production is amazing.
Westbrook has scored 73 points in the series, more than anyone besides Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. His 36 assists (the same number Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green have managed, combined) have produced an additional 85 points for the Thunder. All told, with his scoring and passing, he has had a direct hand in 158 of Oklahoma City’s 332 points, just under 48 percent. Oh, and he also has 11 steals in three games, against only 10 turnovers.
This is peak Westbrook. There are missed shots, and turnovers, and bad decisions, but also the frenetic accumulation of positive basketball plays, and the statistics that track them. Usually the Warriors thrive by bringing artistic order to chaos, a brilliant structure to fast breaks and broken plays that only reveals itself when the ball is sliding through the basket. Westbrook has been sowing chaos in this series and so far the Warriors have been drowning in it.
For more NBA Playoffs coverage, check out our basketball hub page.