Westbrook vs Rocky!

[td4mvp2k]

“Fans now have a villain,” Ty Lawson said.

So it seems, following the bizarre events on Sunday night.

See, SuperMascot Rocky shoots backwards halfcourt shots during a fourth-quarter timeout of every game. If he makes one, fans get free Qdoba queso. It’s perhaps the most-popular during-timeout thing they do at Nugget games.

Well, Rocky’s final attempt appeared to be going in, but the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, walking onto the court, jumped up and blocked/goaltended the shot. The arena erupted in boos and fans continued to boo so every time Westbrook touched the basketball.

So that was bad enough, right?

Rocky returned to midcourt again during the next timeout. And Westbrook, again, caught the shot, this time throwing the ball into the stands. The boos became deafening.

“Russell made a lot of friends here,” Nuggets coach George Karl said sarcastically, following Denver’s 121-118 win. “He’s a feisty guy who likes to create intensity. I like intensity. I’m sure the next time we’ll have some locker room talk.

“I saw him block the shot and then he threw the ball into the crowd. I know in the rule book it says you’re not allowed to throw the ball into the crowd.”

Karl was told it wasn’t the actual game ball, but just one that Rocky was using.

“Well that’s a good question — he did throw a ball into the crowd,” Karl said. “Maybe I can call the league office on that tomorrow, along with 20 other things.”

(Sunday’s game was one filled with many questionable calls from the officials).

Asked about Westbrook, Lawson said, “I thought it was funny, you don’t expect that. Nobody that’s come through the Pepsi Center (has done that). Funny guy, man.”

Westbrook seemed to feed off the boos, first flashing a villainous smile, but then firing a dagger of daggers. With 22.9 seconds left, and the Thunder down three, he unflappably floated an arcing 3-pointer over Wilson Chandler, tying the game. He finished with another monster game against Denver –- 36 points, eight rebounds, nine assists (and seven turnovers).

In last Wednesday’s Thunder blowout of the Nuggets, Westbrook scored 32 points in just 28 minutes. Here’s the lede to my game story:

He’s one of those guys you either hate or you hate. He’s nasty and gnarly, jawing and clawing his way through a game. Russell Westbrook. He’s all grit, they’d say in Oklahoma City, all gall, they’d say in any other city.

But there he was Wednesday, hustling (russelling?) for 28 monster minutes. In the Thunder’s deluge of a win against Denver, 117-97, the point guard scored 32 points with four assists.

Benjamin Hochman/Denver Post

[Eddy from Austin]

[td4mvp2k]

TY Eddy.

[Eddy from Austin]

YW
I'm glad that OK lost that game.

[alh1020]

Westbrook is a player I have never liked, even the short time he was at UCLA. Just something about his manner that bends me the wrong way.

[td4mvp2k]

Originally Posted by Eddy from Austin

I'm glad that OK lost that game.

So was I.

Westbrook is a player I have never liked, even the short time he was at UCLA. Just something about his manner that bends me the wrong way.

Ya him and Perkins I dont like.

[Kager]

Hey I am not a Westbrook fan but that was damn funny, so what Rocky misses and the crowd doesn't get a Burrito he went Rock'n'Roll wrestling on them and gave them a villain.

I was watching and the rest of the game the crowd was even more into it than usual, he may have been paid by the nuggets to do it.

I hope they meet in the playoffs and a rivalry is built around this, people need to realise the mascots etc are all about entertainment and that was more memerable than him making the shot.

[maxrebo1975]

I can not stand Westbrook no matter how talented he is but I think in this case he's a hero. No one should be forced to eat burritos or queso or whatever it is they were going to win from an east coast fast food chain. Now if he messes with my Carne Guisada he's in for a world of hurt

[td4mvp2k]

Not all Rockys become champion boxers.

During a running feud of several years, the Denver Nuggets mascot, Rocky the Mountain Lion, challenged Charles Barkley to a boxing match, only to get KO'd in the face in 1995.

At Barkley's final NBA game, Rocky was flown out to see the then-Houston Rocket. Barkley offered a friendly handshake before sneaking one final punch.

Off the court, Ken Solomon was arrested in 2001 for first-degree trespassing and harassment resulting from domestic violence.

Christina De Nicola/B/R

Charles Barkley Beatsup Rocky - YouTube

[Money4Nothing]

You might hate Westbrook, but that boy plays as hard as he possibly can 100% of the time. More players would be as good as he is if they had the hustle that he has.

$

[td4mvp2k]

Thunder All-Star guard Russell Westbrook lost his cool during the third quarter of a 106-89 win over the Grizzlies on Thursday night, exchanging words with assistant coach Mo Cheeks before briefly departing towards the team’s locker room.

Westbrook’s frustration appeared to begin with 8:54 remaining in the third quarter and the Thunder leading 65-40. He was whistled for a five-second violation as he backed down on Grizzlies guard Jerryd Bayless in the post. He then exchanged words with teammate Thabo Sefolosha, who had cut through the lane prior to Westbrook’s violation, bringing a second defender into Westbrook’s area. After the discussion, Westbrook punched the ball to the court and went back on defense.

He appeared to carry on the conversation with the Thunder’s bench at the beginning of the ensuing defensive possession before badly missing a wild runner on Oklahoma City’s next offensive possession and, later, allowing Bayless to leak out behind him for a dunk after a Kevin Durant turnover. At that point, Thunder coach Scott Brooks called timeout and Westbrook was removed from the game, well before his usual rotation.

Westbrook returned from the locker room with a towel draped on his head and sat out the rest of the third quarter. Brooks re-entered Westbrook to start the fourth quarter.

Kevin Durant addressed Westbrook’s actions during a televised post-game interview.

“Throughout a game you’re going to have some ups and downs,” Durant said on TNT. “Russ is so emotional he wants to win so bad, he wants to give it all for our team. It’s just a bump in the road, he has to continue being himself, we’ll be fine.”

Westbrook finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes. Durant led the Thunder with a game-high 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Bayless had a team-high 23 points and six assists in the loss.

Oklahoma City improved to 35-11; Memphis dropped to 29-16.

Ben Golliver/SI

Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook can be a volatile, frustrating player despite his considerable abilities. He's one of the best backcourt scorers in the league, but sometimes focuses on his own scoring too much. He's an essential part of what the Thunder do, but also the sort of personality that demands a specialized method of coaching. At this point in his career, these contradictions and complications are fairly well established.

Nevertheless, Westbrook is still capable of acting out in ways that make people ask why he can't be more like his more widely beloved teammate Kevin Durant. On Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, Westbrook had one of those moments. With just under nine minutes left in the third quarter and the Thunder up 65-40, Westbrook was whistled for a five-second backdown violation (aka the Mark Jackson rule). Immediately after the call, he began to yell at teammate Thabo Sefolosha, who cut through the lane during Westbrook's post-up and brought a second defender into the area. Westbrook couldn't move into the lane as he wanted, and he blamed Sefolosha for it.

Roughly a minute later, OKC head coach Scott Brooks subbed out Westbrook, presumably because he wasn't happy with his attitude. Assistant coach Maurice Cheeks attempted to calm down Westbrook on the bench, but he was ineffective. So a very angry Westbrook stormed off and headed back into the locker room for several minutes. He returned in a better mood (and with a towel on his head), and the Thunder went on to win by the comfortable score of 106-89. Westbrook was a major reason for that margin of victory — he finished with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, nine rebounds, and six assists.

There was initially some confusion as to why Westbrook acted out. Royce Young of Daily Thunder accurately noted that Westbrook was upset with Sefolosha, but Craig Sager of TNT initially reported that Westbrook and Durant were in a feud. Thankfully, Sager corrected that information with three minutes left in the game.

It is hard to excuse Westbrook's actions, because he yelled at a teammate over a lost possession when the Thunder were up 25 points. That sort of behavior is quite emphatically not what coaches like to see from their All-NBA players — those guys are typically expected to be leaders who galvanize the rest of the roster and enhance team cohesion.

I suppose it can be argued that Westbrook's immaturity will eventually become untenable, but he's done enough dumb things in his career that it's hard to imagine his relationship with his teammates and coaches becoming impossible. Because, while Westbrook can let his emotions get the better of him, he's also startlingly effective as a basketball player.

In short, the qualities that make Westbrook yell at a teammate and get upset on the bench are bad.

Eric Freeman/Yahoo! Sports

That is why I am not a fan of this loser! I will be good when the Spurs put him and his team out!

[td4mvp2k]

Originally Posted by Money4Nothing

You might hate Westbrook, but that boy plays as hard as he possibly can 100% of the time. More players would be as good as he is if they had the hustle that he has.

$

Ya and thats why his team hates him 50% of the time just see Durant and Sefolosha! More players would be as bad if they did the things he does that makes his team hate him!

$