The more the playoffs go on, the less likable Russell Westbrook becomes. That’s coming from a UCLA fan who thought Russell was great for the Bruins and that he would find tremendous success in the NBA. He’s a hard worker, extremely talented, fast, and athletic. But his character is lacking.
In an interview after one of OKC’s playoff games this year, Kevin Durant credited his teammates for the win while Westbrook talked about his individual style of play. When he was removed from a game against Dallas, he yelled at his coach even though his team ends up winning. Sure he took more of a beating from the media than he deserved throughout the playoffs, but his lasting image of the postseason is not a positive one.
Immediately after the Thunder were eliminated, a frustrated and disheartened Westbrook walked off the floor without shaking hands or congratulating Dallas. Check out the video courtesy of Eye on Basketball:
Look, we understand how crappy it feels to lose. Even Kevin Durant couldn’t muster any positive words about Dirk Nowitzki after the game because he was upset his team lost. But Durant did the sportsmanlike thing and congratulated his opponents.
When you’ve been beaten, that’s all you have to do is congratulate the other team and shake their hand. You don’t have to be happy for them and there’s nothing wrong with being angry. Just shake your opponent’s hands. I know this won’t be as magnified as LeBron snubbing the Magic in ’09 because Westbrook isn’t the same caliber player, but this is just another sign of Russell’s immaturity. He’s a young man who has plenty of time to make a mends for the situation. He’s also extremely talented. I want to like him and so should most of the media. He just has to help us by displaying better character in the future.
