OKLAHOMA CITY — Naghatid si Russell Westbrook ng championship-caliber na paglalaro para tulungan ang Oklahoma City Thunder na itabla ang kanilang NBA Western Conference finals.
Nagtala si Westbrook ng 40 puntos, 10 assists at limang steals sa 105-92 pagwawagi laban sa San Antonio Spurs, 105-92, kahapon at itabla ang kanilang serye sa 2-2.
“Coach told us he needed maximum effort from us tonight, and it starts with me at point guard,” sabi ni Westbrook. “My job is to play both sides of the ball. If you want to win a championship, those are things you have to do.”
Tinapatan din nito ang second-highest playoff point total sa career ni Westbrook, na kinapos na mahigitan ang 43 puntos na ginawa noong 2012 NBA Finals.
“Just his focus on every possession on the defensive end and his poise on the offensive end … that’s fun to watch,” sabi ni Tnunder forward Kevin Durant. “People outside of our team don’t really look at that type of stuff, but that’s something we can definitely build on as a group, is watching him wreak havoc on the defensive end and offensively, playing with such patience.”
Ginawa naman ni Westbrook ang lahat ng kanyang makakaya sa laro. Tumira siya ng 50 porsiyento mula sa field at tumira ng limang 3-pointers. Ipinasok rin niya ang lahat ng kanyang 14 free throws.
“Sometimes he’s going to go off,” sabi ni Spurs guard Manu Ginobili. “He’s capable of doing that. If he makes a lot of jumpers, it gets really tough.”
Umiskor naman si Durant ng 31 puntos, ang highest-scoring game niya sa serye kung saan ang NBA leading scorer ay nalimita sa 22.7-point average sa naunang tatlong laro.
Si Serge Ibaka ay nag-ambag ng siyam na puntos at walong rebounds para sa Thunder, na nakabawi sa serye magmula nang makabalik siya galing sa calf injury na akala ng lahat ay magiging dahilan para hindi na siya makalaro sa postseason.
“We just play well with Serge,” sabi ni Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “We can do things with Serge in the lineup that we can’t do with other guys.”
Si Boris Diaw ay nagtala ng 14 puntos at 10 rebounds habang si Tony Parker ay nagdagdag ng 14 puntos para sa Spurs, na sinayang ang 2-0 bentahe kontra Thunder sa nasabi ring round dalawang taon na ang nakakaraan at nanganganib na maulit itong muli.
Iho-host ng San Antonio ang Game 5 bukas subalit hindi naman sila nangangamba tungkol sa nakaraan.
( Photo credit to inquirer news service )