Russell Westbrook’s fiery Game 7 caps ultimate revenge series: “He runs at 250 degrees”

Ish Smith drove in from Charlotte to spend time with the new recruit He was already committed to play basketball at Wake Forest but another promising guard in his high school class was visiting all the way from Los Angeles For all Smith knew maybe they would follow in Chris Paul s footsteps together as a backcourt tandem Smith had a pleasant time on the visit As they hung out he got to know a quiet kid from California Then eventually it was time to get in the gym for a workout with particular of Wake Forest s players Casual pickup Nothing serious That s when -year-old Russell Westbrook dunked on an upperclassman I ain t putting no names out there Smith reported tittering I don t want nobody catching a stray when they re sitting at the house chilling Westbrook ended up choosing UCLA but he reunited with Smith years later in Oklahoma City and Washington Smith was a grinning journeyman Westbrook a scowling superstar With heightened national exposure his persona and play style became both wildly popular and controversial Smith possessed a unique understanding that none of it was for show none of it was manufactured Everything Westbrook is and was Smith knew since that day in North Carolina The temperature could be degrees he advised The Denver Post He runs at degrees at all times I love that about him Westbrook turned up the temperature in Ball Arena to degrees on a memorable Saturday night compiling points five rebounds five assists and five steals to ignite the Nuggets in a Meeting romp of his former gang It was the culmination of an all-time revenge series The Clippers dumped Westbrook last summer The Nuggets collected him off the scrap heap and hoped to embolden him in a bench role with Nikola Jokic s endorsement Left wide open in the series opener Westbrook made a game-saving -pointer and later added a game-clinching defensive swipe He acknowledged afterward that he was being intentionally ignored by his ex And he politely declined to go into detail about his opinion of that choice vowing to return to the topic after we take care of business With a Clip-eating grin the -year-old point guard accepted the invitation after Contest I think they presumed that was their best bet of stopping me or taking me out of this series Westbrook noted I don t know what I shot for the series Somebody has to tell me He finished from -point range Damn that solid he commented feigning surprise I guess it didn t work out The numbers were phenomenal But Westbrook s impact on the series transcended them During Contest James Harden buried a step-back -pointer over Nuggets guard Christian Braun Westbrook was promptly in Braun s ear giving instructions on how to keep Harden off-balance and prevent him from getting to that shot In their last two wins of the series Braun and the Nuggets held Harden to a combined -of- shooting with six turnovers Maybe the biggest part was Russ Braun mentioned He s played against James He s played with James So he kind of knows his tournament and was telling me what looks to give him when to give him this look when to force him right Over the subject of the series I think I got better and better as we went The competition Westbrook was hurt he talked a lot His knowledge is off the charts It s fun to learn from him And it s pretty crazy When I did listen to what he was saying a lot of the things that he was saying did happen Smith a former Nuggets guard himself similarly swears by Westbrook s desire to uplift teammates He has his clothing company and he ll make sure everybody has clothes shoes Smith stated Putting together crew dinners He s all about camaraderie Russell Westbrook of the Denver Nuggets hangs for a technical after dunking to ignite the crowd during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets - series-clinching win over the LA Clippers at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday May Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post His emphasis on camaraderie can manifest itself aggressively of lesson He yells in the huddle sometimes He fumes on the bench He barks in practices and film sessions Nuggets interim coach David Adelman has disclosed since taking over that he hopes the unit can locate a healthy amount of tension when necessary By the same token Westbrook s intensity on the court can function for good or evil or somehow both at any given moment He recognized that paradox himself after Event offering one of the greater part clear-eyed and good-humored encapsulations of the Russ Roller Coaster ever shared My ability to be a force of nature on the floor is what I pride myself on he announced So whatever that looks like It may be a turnover It may be a missed shot But it may be a steal It may be a dunk It may be a missed three It may be a made three It s gonna be all of that It s gonna be everything So you just take it for how it comes and whatever happens you go with it As long as I leave it on the floor and god willing I can go out and continue to compete I m grateful for it The Nuggets first-round matchup was a delectably bitter form of serendipity for Westbrook Their second-round opponent is a more sentimental form of it He remains beloved in Oklahoma City where he won an MVP award and where Denver tips off a new series Monday p m MT Westbrook did face the Thunder in a playoff setting once but in the sterile habitat of the bubble No audience No standing ovations No jeers None of the collective adrenaline and anxiety that Westbrook harnesses more chaotically than any NBA participant this millennium That stuff is his oxygen When he plays to the crowd when he exalts after a dunk or an interception or an alley-oop pass it s as if he s entering a spiritual state He insists he is actively thinking in those moments though that as much as people may not think it I m very smart Related Articles Nuggets Christian Braun finds Encounter vindication after Timberwolves disappointment Renck With Christian Braun Russell Westbrook providing jolt David Adelman shows he should be Nuggets next coach Keeler Denver fans exhibited up presented out for Nuggets Avalanche Contest s Never root against us PHOTOS Denver Nuggets put away LA Clippers - in Challenge of first-round NBA playoff series Nuggets finish the job in Competition rout Clippers to punch ticket to Oklahoma City So what was he thinking during his majority epic out-of-body experience yet as a Denver Nugget After picking Ivica Zubac s pocket in the middle of a -point blowout Westbrook galloped for an easy dunk then used the rim as a playground That s an automatic technical foul But Westbrook celebrated it When I was about to get off the rim backward he explained then I just noted Nah I m gonna just stay up here and try to break the rim And then the tech came It didn t matter No amount of technical fouls could change the development The Clippers were in the palm of Westbrook s hands and the temperature was rising past degrees Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis