Russell Westbrook is one of the greatest players in the history of the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise. However, once the second round starts, the former MVP will be a rival on the side of the Denver Nuggets.
Westbrook has matched up against the Thunder in the playoffs before. After departing from the franchise, the energetic star was a member of the Houston Rockets team that took down Oklahoma City in the 2020 bubble.
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The big difference there, of course, would be the lack of Thunder fans in the crowd.
This will be Westbrook’s first playoff series against his first NBA team with the old fandom around to see it. Mark Daigneault offered his candid thoughts on the franchise legend in the lead-up.
Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) reacts during a game.Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Daigneault gets honest about Westbrook
Clemente Almanza asked Daigneault about Westbrook in a media scrum ahead of the second-round matchup. The Thunder coach opened up.
“He always brings great energy and competitiveness to the game. Especially when he’s off the bench, you have to account for the fact that he’s gonna come in the game ready to rock.
The pace of the game is gonna go up and he’s gonna be trying to make something happen right off the bat. You can’t be caught flat-footed in that way. …
He’s come back many times over the years, so we’ve played against him a lot. We’ve played against him for five seasons, so that’s nothing new.
But we understand the relationship he has to the organization, the fan base, everybody here, and the relationship that they have with him. He’s an unbelievable philanthropist in the community.
This is a place that I think he really resonates with and a place that resonates with him. That’s always been the case when he’s here, but when the ball goes up in the air, he’ll be ready to compete for Denver. We’ll be ready to compete for Oklahoma City.”
-Mark Daigneault
Related: OKC Thunder Star Reveals Team’s Mindset After First-Round Sweep
Thunder faithful will undoubtedly want their team to come on top in this series. However, it should not be a surprise to hear the Oklahoma City crowd give Westbrook his flowers.
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