Even though it has been the Hornets and Denver, it's hard not to get excited by the way the Thunder are playing (without Durant too). Westbrook's level has just been insanely high especially. Don't think I have ever seen him share the ball so effectively.
NBA 2014-2015
- Thread starter Eboue
- Start date
Westbrook is a natural leader, something I don't think Durant is. He's also got such explosiveness that he can get to the rim almost at will. Speeds past his defender and in a second or so he's already up for a layup. He's been playing great and I hope the Lakers get him in free agency somehow. Portland really don't look that impressive in the games i've seen. Think they'll be one and done in the playoffs.
Do you think Thunder has a chance to steal the division from them? Or has the run been left too late?
Lakers are probably the worst run sporting franchise in the world.. Biggest contract in the NBA to a rentie and constantly trading their drafts, it's really a dire spell for the former dinasty...
They play each other twice and the thunder are 6 games behind i think. It's possible but unlikely. It's a shame that OKC vs GS will probably happen in the first round as I think they could both go all the way. Memphis has been looking really good too.
Yes the team with the most NBA titles in the past 30 years and second most all time is the worst run sporting franchise in the world.
I can agree with you on all counts but please tell me what good decisions have been made since the last title came in 2010..
You're shifting the goalposts. I was just pointing out your ridiculous hyperbole. Getting rid of Odom n fisher when we did was a good decision for one. getting dwight for two. and firing mike brown n mike d three
Come on we know the Knicks are the worst run franchise.
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For anyone interested in sports analytics, this is a wonderful paper published for the Sloan conference using spatial and temporal data from SportsVU cameras which are now installed in all NBA arenas: http://www.sloansportsconference.co...2015/02/SSAC15-RP-Finalist-Counterpoints2.pdf
Another knee injury for D-Rose. The guy can't catch a break.
I think that's him officially done as a top player in the league now, in fact he will lucky to be a starter in teams now. He should maybe consider the Suns, they have miracle cures for injury crocks
He needs to retire. There's games beyond the game yo.
Lakers won woohooo
Feel sorry for Rose. Incredibly bad luck with injuries.
Thanks for the link WednesdayatStoke. Makes a lot of sense cause stats like blocks, rebounds and steals don't really tell the full story.
Yeah feel bad for Rose, hope he can come back and be a decent sixth man level guy.
Cavs vs Warriors today should be a high scoring affair followed by MVP Westbrook
Yeah feel bad for Rose, hope he can come back and be a decent sixth man level guy.
Cavs vs Warriors today should be a high scoring affair followed by MVP Westbrook
I totally jinxed him. He's having a terrible game tonight. The suns are keeping their tiny playoff hopes alive with 7 mins left in the 4th
Now's he got a triple double and sent the game into OT .
Now's he got a triple double and sent the game into OT .
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12 for 38 is a disaster. Westbrook is the new Iverson and I don't mean that in a good way.
He's a completely different animal because of his physical abilities though. And Iverson never had a KD who can demand the ball from westbrook.
Yeah and despite all those physical abilities he is shooting 43%. Shows a total lack of basketball IQ. Westbrook is taking more shots than Durant. I mean, how does Scott Brooks let that happen? The guy is a below average 3 point shooter and he bombs them at 3-4 per game.
Sorry but a total lack of Baskeball IQ doesn't get you averaging a triple double. He's always had trouble with shot selection and I agree his three ball isn't that good but during this run this game was an exception.
Even including this run, he is at 43% for the season. He was at 43% last season and the one before it too. Having superb athleticism and still being a 43% shooter is indicative of a low basketball IQ.
Stats are a bit misleading for the Suns game I think. Early on he was missing shots that he usually makes (layups and pull up 2s). He has a tendency to fall back on the three when things aren't going well though and that makes his % worse. He is definitely not a good 3 point shooter, but I have no issue with his other shot selection in the Suns game.
I didn't watch last night's game but stats for this season and the two before it aren't misleading. He shoots 43% which is just not good.
It's not. I think he has improved this season though.
EDIT: Even if the statistics don't show that.
EDIT: Even if the statistics don't show that.
W
What's his fg % if you take out three point attempts
46% from 2. The league average is 48%.
When you're talking about players Like Westbrook you have to look beyond the FG% stats. There is a difference between a player who runs the plays and create his own shot and players spotting for open jumpers. Personally I do think that Westbrook is a bit too crazy, but you can't just put him down as a "43% shooting player". He's definitely much better than that.
For comparison Rose shot 44% in the season he won the MVP award (33% from 3) and he's shooting 45% for his career. I think the main problem most people have with Westbrook is his attitude, not percentages.
Also his injury last year proved that he wasn't really standing in Durant's way, he is actually giving him some help, help that Durant definitely needs.
For comparison Rose shot 44% in the season he won the MVP award (33% from 3) and he's shooting 45% for his career. I think the main problem most people have with Westbrook is his attitude, not percentages.
Also his injury last year proved that he wasn't really standing in Durant's way, he is actually giving him some help, help that Durant definitely needs.
What's the league average for guards.....a far more fairer comparison.
He's not much better. I could maybe buy the argument if he was playing on a bad team where he had to take a bunch of shots but he's got the reigning MVP on his team! Kevin Durant! And he is taking more shots than Durant?
My diagnosis?
Bad basketball IQ.
14 games in one night, how exciting.
I don't know how to find that so I'll just pick other top point guards.
- Steph Curry 55%
- Jeff Teague 51%
- Chris Paul 51%
- Damien Lillard 50%
- Eric Bledsoe 50%
- Kyrie Irvin 49%
- John Wall 49%
- Derrick Rose 47%
- Mike Conley 47%
- Kyle Lowry 47%
- Russell Westbrook 46%
- Tony Parker 46%
Not looking good.
Poor Rondo, 42%.
Rubio is at 39%. But neither of those guys is a top point guard at this point.
He shouldn't be taking more shots than Durant, that I agree with. His basketball IQ isn't great either. I wouldn't say it is poor though. It's improved this season. In particular with Durant out. He is sharing the ball more and picking the right options.
Ok let's talk numbers, but let's look at the whole picture.
First of all FG%. Let's exclude Curry for now because he's out of his mind this season and is pretty much an anomaly here. The gap between him and the best percentage shooter is 5%. (even if we're talking between his overall FG% and a respectable 48% for a guard the difference is still 5%).
Westbrook is taking about 20 shots per game, and he's making 9 of them. A 50% shooter would make 10 of them, which means that player is only giving his team 2 extra points compared to Westbrook, or in other words, Westbrook's poor shooting is "costing" OKC only 2 points per game.
Now, on the other hand, Westbrook is not only averaging 8.1 assists per game (5th in the league), 6.6 rebounds per game (1st among PGs), and 2.07 steals per game (2nd in the league), but with that aggressiveness also come more free throw attempts (he attempts nearly 9 free throws per game, making 84% of them) which could easily compensate for that missed shot as he's attempting 3+ free throws more than any other PG.
So you see, the numbers don't really support the idea that he's "hurting OKC", and there is a reason why his real +/- is 3rd in the league.
I understand why people might not like. I don't like him that much either. He has a bad attitude and I credit Durant for putting up with that, but if we're talking numbers we have to be fair. One more missed shot per game doesn't automatically make him "average" when he's offering so much in other categories, especially (because it's directly connected to his shooting stats) his free throw attempts.
Also, I find it hard to call him "low IQ" when he has more than 8 assists per game. He does have mental lapses at times, his aggressiveness could get the better of him at times, but low-IQ player is a bit harsh for me for an 8+ assists/game player.
Why did you put this in quotes as if to imply I said it when I said nothing of the sort? It's pretty disingenuous.
It wasn't meant to be a literal quote, but it was where you were going with your criticism I thought (don't you think he's hurting them with his over-aggressiveness?), if you don't think he's hurting them, ok. But the numbers part still stand imo and that was my reply for your post. 1 missed shot vs 3-4 more made free throws is by no means a disaster, or even a bad trade-off for that matter, and we're only talking shooting here.
It's reductive to just say he costs his team 2 points. His True Shooting Percentage is way off the mark of other top point guards. His assist rate is inflated because his usage rate is just astronomical. Westbrook is on pace for the 4th highest usage rate of all time. The 3 guys in front of him are Kobe on the post Shaq pre Gasol Lakers, Jordan on a sub .500 Bulls team and my earlier comparison, Iverson.
I don't think Westbrook is hurting the Thunder, I think he is insanely overrated. He's never been as good as Chris Paul yet Paul is constantly criticized and Westbrook is talked about as better than Durant. Here we are post injury in his 10th year in the league and Paul is badly outplaying a prime Westbrook. Curry and Paul are the top point guards. Westbrook is in the Teague/Wall/Irving/Lowry/Lillard/Bledsoe group a step below.
I don't think Westbrook is hurting the Thunder, I think he is insanely overrated. He's never been as good as Chris Paul yet Paul is constantly criticized and Westbrook is talked about as better than Durant. Here we are post injury in his 10th year in the league and Paul is badly outplaying a prime Westbrook. Curry and Paul are the top point guards. Westbrook is in the Teague/Wall/Irving/Lowry/Lillard/Bledsoe group a step below.
Westbrook has 19 points, 7 boards and 7 assists in the first half against Portland. Shooting a good percentage too. The guy is a beast. God I hope he comes to LA