Any and all LA Clippers fans that tuned in for the Denver Nuggets' second round series with the Oklahoma City Thunder had to have been disappointed with Russell Westbrook's level of play. After torching Los Angeles in the first round, Westbrook was not nearly as effective in the semifinal matchup with OKC.
In the first round against his former team, Westbrook was fantastic. He put up an average of 13.8 points per game on 43.3% shooting from the floor, and 41.9% from three-point range. In the second round against the Thunder, that output dropped to 9.9 points per game on just 34.8% shooting and 21.9% from three.
It was a stark drop off in terms of overall production for the former Clippers guard. Against Oklahoma City, Westbrook recorded three games with four turnovers, after only recording one such game against LA in the first round. Costly turnovers from Russ were part of what led to a big Thunder run in the second quarter of Game 7 on Sunday.
Westbrook's level of play fell off significantly against Thunder
To top it all off, Westbrook finished with a stunning plus/minus of -92 for the series against the Thunder. Of course, Clippers fans were far from thrilled with this outcome. Not only did it appear Westbrook played with a bit of added motivation against his former team, but he failed to carry over that chip on his shoulder into the semifinals.
Looking back on the first round, it was the play of Russ that was one of the big factors in swinging the series for Denver. The fact that Westbrook looked like a much different player against the Thunder was not an enjoyable outcome for Clippers fans.
Many in Clipper nation have to be looking back on that first round series with Denver and thinking, "How did we let that one slip away?" LA was so close to getting it done and having a shot at the 68-win Oklahoma City Thunder. And you can bet that the Clippers believed they could win that series, even before Denver took them all the way to the brink of elimination.
At the end of the day, this is what you're going to get with the Russell Westbrook experience. He's always going to play hard, but the results can often be feast or famine. And no one knows this better than Clippers fans.