Friday, April 30th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  61 responses

Russell Westbrook: Not Intimidated by Kobe Bryant

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

For four games, young Russell Westbrook had been running circles around Derek Fisher and jumping over the rest of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates, and as a result, the series was tied.

Prior to Game 5, Kobe Bryant walked into Phil Jackson’s office and simply told him, “I want to guard Westbrook.” A few hours later, the Lakers had OKC on the brink of elimination following a tremendous defensive effort (triggered by Bryant’s hounding of Westbrook).

With Kobe expected to guard Westbrook again tonight in Game 6, Russell wants to know (or at least, believe) that he’s not shook.

The Oklahoman reports:

Kobe Bryant paid Russell Westbrook the ultimate compliment with his actions Tuesday night, when he stepped up and insisted on defending the Thunder’s young gun in Game 5. But you’d have to excuse Westbrook for refusing to return the same level of reverence with his words.

“It’s not like he’s the best defender in the world,” Westbrook said Thursday, the day before his team’s do-or-die Game 6 against Bryant’s Lakers. “I don’t think he’s, like, the best defender in the NBA to where I’m like, ‘OK, Kobe’s guarding me now’ and I tighten up.”

It’s absolutely the right attitude to have. Westbrook, like Bryant stated, is the Thunder’s engine on the offensive end. If he can’t get it going, the series will end tonight.

Kobe, even with all of his injuries, continues to believe he’s one of the best defenders in the world. Tonight, he’ll have another opportunity to drill this lesson into Russell Westbrook’s mind.

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  • ronak Posted: Apr.30 at 9:04 am
    hope the thunder catch something good this summer..

  • The Philosopher Posted: Apr.30 at 9:08 am
    Maybe Kobe will shoot 125 times tonight.

  • Eboy Posted: Apr.30 at 9:11 am
    I fully expect Westbrook to put Kobe on his heels from the beginning and if Scott Brooks is half the coach I think he is, he’ll find a way to get Russell in better spots (with multiple picks) to wear Mambo down. Kobe played a great floor game the other in Game 5, but the crowd will be hyped (again) and I doubt the Thunder as a whole is worried about getting their games back on track. Game 7 should be great.

  • vtrobot Posted: Apr.30 at 9:17 am
    OKC will be ROCKING tonight. This has the potential to be the best game of the playoffs so far. Can’t wait. F LA.

  • dirty frank Posted: Apr.30 at 9:22 am
    Well said Eboy. As a former Sonics fan I want to hate the Thunder but am completely unable.

  • Hussman25 Posted: Apr.30 at 9:27 am
    That’s right Russell! Tell em!

  • Eboy Posted: Apr.30 at 9:32 am
    Also, I’m not sure if Kobe’s 39 point game was considered a “breakout” but neither he nor KD have had a “monster” scoring game. I think tonight will be the duel of old vs. new, in a man on man scoring battle. KD has had 5 games to figure out Ron’s tendencies, so I think tonight is his night. Game 7 will be all about which team wants it more.

  • LDR4 Posted: Apr.30 at 9:37 am
    Why should Westbrook be scaed? He’s been the best player in this series. Honestly, all the pressure will be on the Lakers to win on the road in a deafening Ford Center.

  • Slick Nick Da Ruler Posted: Apr.30 at 9:44 am
    Is Kobe healthy enough to hound Westbrook and duel with Durant? I can’t say I believe he can.

  • Spaceship Jay Posted: Apr.30 at 9:45 am
    Hmm. Was Westbrook’s statement an answer to a question or a statement on his own? Because if he wasn’t scared… Then he wouldn’t have mentioned it.

  • Eboy Posted: Apr.30 at 9:51 am
    Nick, I think for a single game he can. The fact that this matchup has the potential to go 7 games shows that Kobe just can’t be “2005 Kobe” for an entire series anymore, otherwise this would have been over 2 games ago.

  • Eboy Posted: Apr.30 at 9:52 am
    I bet he is afraid of The King though.

  • T-Money Posted: Apr.30 at 9:52 am
    BTW, in the playoffs, with tough halfcourt defense, Kevin Durant is just a jumpshooter. For now. He can’t create for others and he doesn’t have the handles or bulk to get into the paint. It doesn’t fit with the story line that he’ll be the best player in the NBA in 3 years but he’s playing atrocious basketball right now. 38% from the field, 27% from deep.

  • namik Posted: Apr.30 at 9:52 am
    Highly doubt this series will go to 7. Westbrook is good but he isn’t on the level where after 6 games he can suddenly break out new facets of his game and shock the Lakers. And if the Lakers pound the paint, this game is in the bag.

  • JoeMaMa Posted: Apr.30 at 9:57 am
    Fisher is a BAD defender. Kobe is a GREAT defender. He’ll do a job on Westbrook. LA wins tonight.

  • Aaron Posted: Apr.30 at 10:04 am
    Co-sign JoMama!

  • Slick Nick Da Ruler Posted: Apr.30 at 10:05 am
    2005 Kobe was squandered on crappy teams, and on Raja’s clothesline. There is no doubt that Kobe cannot compete with Bron, even with Bron’s needlessly divaesque elbow injury. Tonight’s showdown will be gritty, Gasol is the deciding factor tonight.

  • vtrobot Posted: Apr.30 at 10:21 am
    i don’t think the thunder should win tonight but i think they’re going to because i don’t think the OKC fans are going to allow them to lose. should be fun. good luck, OKC.

  • Sparker Posted: Apr.30 at 10:33 am
    not an la fan, but i say they win. they found another gear the other night and they won’t forget it that quickly. okc’s thrown their best punch, and that’ll be it. hope i’m wrong ’cause i love this series

  • Brad Long Posted: Apr.30 at 10:37 am
    This is Odom’s game to step up. He’s the X-factor tonight.

  • roman Posted: Apr.30 at 10:46 am
    Thunder its been nice, but tonight your getting shut down.

  • peter Posted: Apr.30 at 10:51 am
    “I don’t think he’s, like, the best defender in the NBA to where I’m like, ‘OK, Kobe’s guarding me now’ and I tighten up.”
    Certainly looked that way in Game 5…that breakaway he had where he saw Kobe coming for the block and basically cr@pped his pants and turned it over would have been a dunk the previous game.

  • niQ Posted: Apr.30 at 11:00 am
    Soo excited for this game! Although I’m pulling for OKC, I don’t know whether Westbrook realizes that even if Kobe isn’t the best defender in the world, they also have Artest back him up.lol

  • stokesey Posted: Apr.30 at 11:01 am
    Way to give Kobe added motervation Russell, let a sleeping dog sleep, dont go kicking him when he’s not so awake, I was confident OKC would send this to 7 (and im a Laker fan) now… its over in 6

  • Anton Posted: Apr.30 at 11:02 am
    lol co-sign Peter.

  • kh Posted: Apr.30 at 11:04 am
    Don’t get me wrong Westbrook is an amazing player, but there is no way he’s putting “Kobe on his heels”. The reason we love or hate Kobe is because of his ability to step up and perform in situations like these. There is no way he’s letting this young’n get anything going tonight. I can’t wait!

  • Boing Dynasty Posted: Apr.30 at 11:04 am
    If the refs called the game fair(Ha, i know) and Westbrook was specifically trying to get calls he could have Kobe fouled out by Halftime. Hes faster, and Kobe reaches, peroid.

  • SoCalHoopsFan Posted: Apr.30 at 11:05 am
    Kobe may not expend as much on the defensive end as he once did, but when Kobe gets into ‘lockdown’ mode – you know, when he crouches down into a spider-man pose, hikes up his shorts and starts shifting his balance slightly from one side to another – he is still in the top couple defenders in the association. Westbrook may SAY he doesn’t fear Kobe, but his game said something completely different in game 5. Thing is, coming right out and saying you don’t fear someone means that 1) you probably DO fear them, and 2) they’ve got into your head, and 3) will only fuel that person. But, when that person is Kobe Bryant, who is the master at exploiting weaknesses, he probably sealed his fate for game 6 and made ABSOLUTELY SURE that Kobe will be guarding him again. Wrong thing to say Russell…

  • Eboy Posted: Apr.30 at 11:13 am
    Laker fans do know it’s not the year 2000 anymore, right?

  • The D Train Posted: Apr.30 at 11:16 am
    @dirty frank: I am able. Unfortunately I am a small, bitter man. As such I have not gotten over the whole Seattle/OKC thing. It further disgusts me that we are inundated with all these stories about how great OKC is going to be for the next 10 years, and how the team that was (just last year) wearing that mantle…you know, the left behind Pacific NW team…is beset by injuries while OKC plays relatively injury free. People talk about the basketball gods, but I refuse to believe in any sort of karma in this game that craps all over a loyal fan base like Portland whilst rewarding a slime-ball business man who ripped a long-standing institution out of Seattle with the help of the commissioner of the freakin’ league. Wow. Tradition…history…who the hell needs ‘em when you can shyster your way into a new stadium every few years by leaving behind the loyal fans and communities. As my main main Leon Black might say, I guess I’m just Mopey Dick.

  • Anton Posted: Apr.30 at 11:18 am
    Unlike that b!tch n!gga Pietrus from last year, f*cking guy jizzed himself on D

  • The D Train Posted: Apr.30 at 11:19 am
    All that being said, I still hope they beat LA. My hate for the Lakers runs far deeper. I always hated the Lakers, but last year, after watching a back-and-forth game 2 of the Finals at the MGM with a room full of Laker fans, I absolutely loathe them more than ever. Entitled and delusional jackarses seem to be their majority. Oh, if only Courtney Lee had made that alley…

  • dino Posted: Apr.30 at 11:26 am
    Lebron MVP!!! yeah!

  • kevin armenta Posted: Apr.30 at 11:26 am
    Thats good westbrook is not intimidatedby kobe! you never should be scared of anyone on the court.But in the playoffs and the season is on the line,you better be scared of the MAMBA!!!

  • Th3_R3al_Chris Posted: Apr.30 at 11:27 am
    More than any series, I really would love to see this one go 7.

  • Myles Brown Posted: Apr.30 at 11:35 am
    It’s over.

  • Bruno Posted: Apr.30 at 11:55 am
    poor eboy the only thing he has to do now during the playoffs is to talk about kobe this and kobe that
    and nobody knows if there will be a game 7 but it seems that eboy has even tickets to that game

  • Breeze Posted: Apr.30 at 12:17 pm
    The funniest thing to me about the whole situation is people tend to keep on routing for okc like thier doing the unbeliveable like this wasnt done last year. when LA WON THE TITLE ! nothing is new here the playoffs are and always will be about matchups period. obviously okc is a harder match up problem for older legs , but lets just think after la wins this series who wanna put money no other series against the lakers goes to a game 7! MAMBA!

  • jorge Posted: Apr.30 at 12:22 pm
    Peter, I agree!
    And I even said it the night before Kobe went against Westbrook: MJ wuould have taken the challenge every single game, not just on game 5.
    Like another blogger said, Westbrook has Kobe in his mind, he’s shaking and just for him to mention that, gives Kobe all the confidence because Kobe knows somebody is thinking too much about his defense.
    Game 1 has already started with Westbrook turning the ball already by saying this kind of stuff.
    This is where “A” players come to play and “B” players feel the pressure. See you next season Thunder!

  • Breeze Posted: Apr.30 at 12:31 pm
    oh yeah about the topic at hand….whoever think westbrook has a chance at getting over 20 points again just look at the fast break attempt he had when the mamba ran up on him..he has his heart cause dude threw it on odom..kobe about 5 inches shorter lol get these supersonics out of here!

  • Jack Posted: Apr.30 at 12:37 pm
    “I don’t think he’s, like, the best defender in the NBA to where I’m like, ‘OK, Kobe’s guarding me now’ and I tighten up.”
    —————
    I thought Thunder is all about humility.
    Humility and Westbrook’s statement doesn’t seem to match.

  • Brion Posted: Apr.30 at 1:27 pm
    Well said D-Train. im with you.

  • tealish Posted: Apr.30 at 1:33 pm
    Fellas, Myles had it all summed up: It’s OVAH.
    Lakers win tonight by a convincing fashion. Don’t be fooled by the +2 spread.

  • UnRel Posted: Apr.30 at 1:42 pm
    i agree.. kobe isn’t the best defender in the league anymore.. but westbrook shouldn’t say that.. cause if the ‘not’ best defender got him shook in game 5.. what’s that say about his own game?.. lakers win tonight..

  • jdubbs29 Posted: Apr.30 at 1:55 pm
    With Kobe on Westbrook, Artest on Durant, and Bynum/Gasol patrolling the pain, the Thunder are going to have to shoot lights out from the perimeter to have a chance.

  • TADOne Posted: Apr.30 at 1:56 pm
    It’s over….after game 7.

  • RUN'N'GUN219 Posted: Apr.30 at 2:46 pm
    yall people kill me. kobe is still kobe!! he is hurt but he is still the best PLAYER in the leauge. hands down. The young thunder won 5o freaking games so it not like they are the bulls, they actually have good team. And if they played anyone except the lakers they would advance to the second round. Kobe is playing team ball now and yall are killing him. when he was taking 30 shots going for 36 a night yall was killing him. give him a break and respect KOBE Wan KANOBE!!

  • Mikep Posted: Apr.30 at 3:23 pm
    How r the lakers pressured to win this game tonite???? They get to go back to la where they banged the thunder out at if they lose…Kevin durant bout to b the best player in the league in a few years but it’s kobes and the lakers time… nobody matches up wit em Theyre gnna repeat n threepeat!!!! Carter!!!!

  • jdote Posted: Apr.30 at 3:27 pm
    this is kind of a random argument.. but i’ve heard a lot of people down on d rose and kevin durant.. i’ve heard d rose shot too much for the bulls and durant is shooting an atrocious percentage..but…i think durant has been BETTER…i kno sounds crazy, but in the two victories, he did everything from rebound crazyyyyyy, to defend kobe..i dont like how everyone is john hollinger and david thorpe focusing in on efficiency.. i dont care if ur 8-25..make the ones that matter…ginobli must’ve shot below 46 percent in the Dallas series..he still was ballin and made clutch shots..durant has done the same somewhat.

  • Mikep Posted: Apr.30 at 3:28 pm
    The lakes have no pressure comin into tonite… They either eliminate the best young team in the league or they go back to la n elimnate em there either way they’re winnin rings for years to come…

  • topo Posted: Apr.30 at 3:29 pm
    why do the crappiest cities in the league also have the loudest, craziest fans? what is it about rural cowtown surrounding? the sacramento queens fans a couple years back were exactly like the oklahoma fans…must be something in the cowsh*t

  • Breeze Posted: Apr.30 at 4:32 pm
    mike p couldnt say it better !

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Apr.30 at 5:30 pm
    Another lakers slanted ‘piece’ by mutoni. Whodathunkit? And some of u need to wipe mr. Beans juice off ur chins when ur done

  • Tarzan Cooper Posted: Apr.30 at 5:35 pm
    IM BUMBOKLAAT SICK AND FN TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT MR BEAN BEING HURT! THIS IS THE NBA PLAYOFFS, MANY PLAYERS ARE HURT AND I DONT CARE. SINCE WHEN DID HAVING A VERY MINOR KNEE OR ANKLE INJURY BECOME SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE REPEATED CONSTANTLY? MAN UP AND PLAY! IM SO BLOODKLAAT TIRED OF HEARING THIS CRAP!

  • Bigi Posted: May.1 at 3:17 am
    No Game 7 needed Eboy, and what happened to that Nuggets-are-gonna-beat-the-Lakers?

  • tomtom Posted: May.1 at 6:35 am
    maybe kobe is a slightly better defender than russel thinks, seen as he just held him to an unimpressive 7/20 with a +/- of just +2

  • Le Dance Dance Revolution Posted: May.1 at 11:25 am
    LAKER hate is a mental illness. Lakers close out series 4-2. Enjoy summer vacation now, Westbrook.

  • Pharaoh Posted: May.1 at 3:49 pm
    Eboy is on fire with his predictions. Can’t wait till Game 7…

  • Bruno Posted: May.1 at 7:22 pm
    Game 7 should be great!!! thanks eboy

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: May.1 at 11:00 pm
    The Laker bias is ridiculous in Mutoni’s pieces… Just saying…

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: May.1 at 11:02 pm
    Kobe Bryant is a better defender than LeBron, but neither deserve to make All-NBA First Defensive Team. There we go.

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