Renck: Russell Mania is maddening. But, Nuggets don’t win without Westbrook
It is normal to make mistakes at work For Russell Westbrook it is a priority My job excuse my language Westbrook explained is to bleep stuff up The only question is whether he does it for the Nuggets or Clippers Denver s entertaining cagematch with the Los Angeles Clippers ended with a - overtime mastery a nervy exhausting display of resilience and overcoming obstacles the playoff debut of interim coach David Adelman the pressure of erasing a -point deficit and Westbrook who plays basketball like an overcaffeinated Energizer Bunny Saturday the Nuggets almost lost because of him And they would have never won without him The idea of the Nuggets claiming three more games in this series with Michael Porter Jr scoring three points on Denver s first basket no less is foolish They need him even as he shows why it will be so challenging to business him But it was obvious early Porter was disconnected He looked timid from beyond the arc and lost defensively Adelman had no choice All aboard the Russell Roller Coaster Buckle up The Clippers dared him to beat them He obliged scoring the Nuggets final seven points in regulation He also failed to get a shot off as time expired He exerted his will on offensive rebounds But he attempted an ill-advised driving layup in overtime with seconds left when he should have soaked more off the shot clock the last thing Denver needed was Westbrook at the foul line as a shooter protecting a - lead And oh yeah he undercut Clippers star James Harden on an inbounds play with seconds left causing a turnover because he knew the play admitted Westbrook citing his time with the Clippers last season He was there when the Nuggets needed him Agent Chaos became Agent Calm At least in Encounter He made certain big plays Nikola Jokic disclosed That s who he is But nobody raises the blood pressure of Nuggets Nation like him He carries passengers through sharp curves and steep inclines and never taps the brakes He makes it look easy He makes us all queasy Sometimes in the same possession Russ is Russ Adelman declared Defensively he was absolutely incredible I thought a lot of the reason that the turnovers happened even if he wasn t forcing them was just the way he was roaming around and impacting the meeting There were a couple of times he attacked when I thought he could have pulled the ball out But if he sees someone in front of him guarding one on one he s going to attack I don t think he s going to change after years With the challenge slipping through the Nuggets fingers Westbrook entered in the second quarter He provided vitality and defensive intensity creating trouble as the equivalent of a safety on the low block They have dynamic guys great cutters guys who catch lobs Westbrook reported Russell Westbrook of the Denver Nuggets misses at the cup as James Harden and Kris Dunn of the LA Clippers defend during overtime of the Nuggets - win at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday April Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post He has to communicate and execute And if he is going to log minutes as a -year-old as he did Saturday he must provide offense to ease the pressure on Jokic Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon He nailed a -pointer during the Nuggets - run to close the first half a stretch that really won the tournament if we are being honest It was more like firing a fastball through the rim but well it went in A lot of people emphasize the made and missed shots But in the playoffs all you have to do is win the bleep challenge announced Westbrook who finished of from the floor I don t care how you do it That Jokic trusts him remains fascinating No one would have blamed him for reaching a situation of faith after the final seconds of a loss to Minnesota a finish that helped accelerate coach Michael Malone s firing Westbrook missed a layup and fouled on a -pointer a maddening display that put fans hearts and the playoff seed in a blender But he has settled down under Adelman who is committed to playing the best players at the end of the games not favorites Westbrook belonged in that group down the stretch For every clank there was a board For every missed shot there was a defensive stop The former MVP knows the Clippers don t believe he can beat them There is a reason they leave him open Does that make it more personal Related Articles Renck File With Broncos now contenders Sean Payton must be bold in NFL draft Renck Is this Aaron Gordon s last stand for Nuggets Could be if Denver loses to Clippers Renck Is Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood ready to meet playoff moment Stanley Cup run hinges on it Renck Clint Hurdle s return will be hit for Rockies if it inspires accountability from Dick Monfort Renck The Nobody Believes in Us Nuggets are back with a new coach new hope and no excuses Not until we win the series and then we can talk about that if we take care of business Westbrook declared That s a tough organization over there We didn t do anything special We won one meeting on our homecourt Westbrook was shimmering in the locker room His outfit impossible to miss like the man himself It looked like it was platinum No Westbrook corrected it is silver His performance was pure gold Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis
