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Russell Westbrook isn’t going to lose any sleep after Damian Lillard outplayed him in the Portland Trail Blazers‘ 4-1 series win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he told reporters Thursday:
Royce Young @royceyoung
Westbrook on the fallout from his back-and-forth with Damian Lillard, and what critics are saying about him now: https://t.co/NhKnE0HQZ7
“When you do so much at a high level, a lot of haters come,” Westbrook added, per Maddie Lee of the Oklahoman. “That’s how life is.”
There was no denying the animosity between Lillard and Westbrook during their first-round series. Lillard, in particular, was not very fond of Westbrook’s histrionics after made buckets, as he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:
“I’m not even paying attention to it. But when I do see it, that’s cool. He does it every game, so it doesn’t bother me. I don’t celebrate in someone’s face and try to disrespect my opponent. But if a team calls a timeout, I’ll go acknowledge the crowd and celebrate with my teammates as I’m going to the bench. I’m not going to say some wild s—. I think with him, he’s pounding his chest and talking s— and that’s what gets him going. That’s the difference between us.
Lillard had the last laugh, however. He averaged 33.0 points, 6.0 assists and 2.4 steals in the series, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 48.1 percent from three. He also famously hit an absurdly deep, dagger three in Paul George‘s face to close out the series.
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And he literally waved goodbye to the Thunder in the aftermath:
NBA on TNT @NBAonTNT
“I was just waving goodbye to them.”
-Dame on his celebration after his buzzer-beater in Game 5. #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/RAkYu2OG0x
Westbrook, meanwhile, averaged 22.8 points, 10.6 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game but shot just 36.0 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from beyond the arc. There’s little doubt Lillard got the better of the matchup, carving Oklahoma City’s defense to shreds.
After the OKC’s poor showing in a series many believed it would win, there are serious questions about the ceiling and future of the current iteration of the team with Westbrook as the Thunder’s dominant star.
Rachel Nichols @Rachel__Nichols
The Thunder have now gone three straight postseasons without making it out of the first round. @PaulPierce34 thinks OKC needs to get rid of Billy Donovan, while @DarthAmin says GM Sam Presti and Russell Westbrook are more to blame. https://t.co/872TLKueEq
Regardless of what changes may come this offseason, Westbrook is ready to move forward after the early playoff exit.
“When you lose a series, everybody looks at series and says this is why you lost…but ultimately there are different things through the season that happen to you or the team,” he said Thursday. “It’s a combination of things. I will do what I need to do to stay consistent and be better.”
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