Russell Westbrook Only Noisemaker For Thunder on Opening Night

The Thunder missed plenty of free throws on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City—nine to be exact. One stands out as the defining moment of the franchise-opening loss to the Bucks. With 2:15 to go in the fourth quarter, down 17, Thunder rookie Russell Westbrook missed the second of two attempts, only to slip down the right side of the lane and deflect the rebound off a Buck and out of bounds for an extra possession. In many ways, it was as imperfect a play as the debut of full-time professional basketball in Oklahoma City itself.  (Sidebar: In a pregame press conference, NBA Commissioner David Stern even referred to OKC as Kansas City twice before catching and correcting himself.) But on a night the Thunder could not rebound, the 6’3’’ backup point guard had four—all offensive. For a team that has no perimeter shooting, Westbrook made the only three pointer. On a roster that is reputed as being unable or unwilling to defend, Westbrook can and will. And in front ... (link)