Originally Posted by
Dcypoe
Yup, I'm using that chart to make a point Russ shoots too much & might I add, doing a good job proving it. What, your gonna tell me he doesn't? That he deserves to shoot more than Durant?
Did you even read my posts?
Because FG% tells the entire story, right? At the end of the day, you know what matters? 11-3. That's their playoff record right now. Russ has shot terribly this series, no denying that.. but poor shooting aside, he's put up 21, 5, 5, with 2 steals and 2 turnovers. And their shot attempts were pretty much equal all season, so this isn't anything shocking or new.
Durant should have more shots than Westbrook, no one is going to say otherwise. But there's more to the game than just shot attempts.
All things equal, the superior scorer and 3-time scoring champ
should have more shots than anyone else on the court. But their shots have been pretty much equal all season, so Durant taking less shots by a small margin isn't that big of a deal relatively speaking. The team has been very successful with both players taking roughly the same amount of FGAs. He's taken 8 more shots over 14 games..
hardly that outrageous. The bigger deal is he's not shooting great.
Field goal attempts are not the only stat out there.. in the playoffs Russ has 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and only 2 turnovers, plus his 21 points.
Originally Posted by Dcypoe
Fine, imma just give in and say that Westbrook is the MJ in this combo, and Durant the Pippen. I mean, that's what you guys want us to believe, right? That Russ is the true leader of this team.
Why do you see shot attempts as the only indication of who the leader is? When the team needs a shot to win the game, it's probably going to Durant. What's this need to pit one against the other? Westbrook has carried the team in games when Durant might have been struggling. And Durant has carried the team when Russ struggled. And Harden picked up the slack then both might be having a bad game.
It's not about shooting less, it's about being smarter with the ball for Westbrook. He had 6 turnovers last night, but also 12 assists and a lot came off of attacking the basket then kicking it out to shooters. If he does more of that, the team will benefit, he'll get more assists, and his shot attempts will probably go down.. that's more important than simply "taking less shots".
The Thunder can be the favorites to win it for the foreseeable future if a few things happen. Durant and Harden being better defenders, Ibaka or KD being able to score from the post, Russ becoming a better point guard, Brooks developing more reliable offensive sets to get the ball moving and stop ball watching, etc. And hell.. they've been one of the favorites all season even without these things happening, so things are looking good. I just don't understand this constant need to pit one against the other, it stinks of the press trying to drum up controversy where there isn't one, and fans have picked it up and ran with it.. so Westbrook gets a lot of unfair criticism. It's just a common joke now to blame Russ or jump all over him the second he makes a mistake. He's got weaknesses, no doubt about it, but people always seem to ignore the positives.
