Why the Nuggets' title hopes might hinge on the most volatile player in the NBA

THE WAY RUSSELL WESTBROOK near Oklahoma City isn't a sore spot for anyone successful town. Not the mode it was erstwhile Kevin Durant near successful 2016, oregon James Harden successful 2013. Those departures were messy. Westbrook's was not, even though helium did initiate it down the scenes.

So, erstwhile helium checked into the crippled with 5:17 near successful the archetypal 4th of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, arsenic the Thunder's existent MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was astatine the escaped propulsion enactment being serenaded with MVP chants, the assemblage stopped hyping up their caller prima and stood to cheer for their aged one.

To the dismay of fans, it brought retired the champion successful Westbrook, who made respective captious plays down the agelong arsenic the Nuggets rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. The past 1 occurred erstwhile it mattered most.

With conscionable implicit 8 seconds left, and Denver down 119-118, Nuggets defender Christian Braun secured a rebound connected the close helping and instantly swung an outlet walk to Westbrook, who was sprinting down the close sideline astatine a velocity lone helium seems to possess.

As destiny would person it, with the crippled connected the line, Westbrook was confronted with a game-deciding choice. Every psyche successful the gathering assumed helium would thrust into the teeth of the Thunder defence to effort to get up a imaginable winning shot. The Nuggets had seen that before, to varying degrees of success. So excessively had the Thunder.

Thunder halfway Chet Holmgren adjacent backed up, hoping to lure Westbrook into a lose-lose choice: driving successful himself oregon pulling up for 3. It was a challenge. And Westbrook does not backmost down from challenges.

Even Denver's broadcast unit didn't deliberation Westbrook could resist. In astir 3 seconds, wrong the Altitude Sports studio, they encapsulated the afloat scope of the Russell Westbrook experience.

With 7.2 seconds near successful the fourth, Westbrook took the walk from Braun -- and accelerated. First toward Thunder guardant Jalen Williams, past toward rim-protecting large antheral Holmgren.

"No, no, no. No! Noooo!"

"Oh, geez!"

Then, mouths agape, they stared astatine the workplace surface successful awe. Westbrook did not thrust into a 7-footer and hazard a turnover oregon atrocious shot. Nor did helium halt supra the 3-point enactment and hoist up his ain shot.

Instead, helium threw a cleanable walk to an unfastened Aaron Gordon connected the near wing. With 2.8 seconds left, Gordon rattled successful a 25-footer to springiness the Nuggets an improbable 121-119 lead.

After the game, Westbrook explained his thinking. "I saw Chet successful the overgarment and my occupation is to thrust and kick," helium said. "AG was acceptable to sprout it. He's been making large shots each twelvemonth long."

It's intolerable to accidental if this illustration of decision-making volition beryllium an isolated incidental oregon grounds of existent change.

This Nuggets squad has won a title, thing Westbrook is inactive chasing. And connected nights similar this, you get the feeling that title acquisition is rubbing disconnected connected Westbrook. On others, it precise overmuch does not.

"This is simply a seasoned group, guys person been present before," Westbrook said. "It's precise adjuvant erstwhile your member has your back. I thought we did a bully occupation of conscionable having each other's back, done each the ups and downs, bully calls, atrocious calls, missed shots, turnovers."

In galore ways, the communicative of Westbrook is the communicative of the 2024-25 Nuggets -- the utmost highs: the game-winning bursts of energy, the temporarily unstoppable two-man crippled with Nikola Jokic; the unbelievable rebounds and antiaircraft plays; and past the inexplicable lows: the missed layups, the mediocre shooting, the adjacent worse decision-making, the deficiency of accountability, the disruption to the Nuggets' antecedently pristine locker country culture.

The Nuggets themselves don't cognize however this experimentation volition end. But their hopes that it doesn't mightiness hinge connected the astir high-variance, volatile subordinate successful the game.

IF YOU CLOSED your eyes and watched Westbrook lukewarm up connected the Paycom Center court, a afloat 3 hours earlier Games 1 and 2 of this second-round playoff bid betwixt the Nuggets and Thunder, it'd beryllium casual to consciousness arsenic if you'd gone backmost successful time.

Because 36-year-old Westbrook inactive looks similar prime, 30-year-old Westbrook who astir tore the screen disconnected this arena during his glory years: His chiseled physique remains; his meticulously planned warmup starts astatine precisely the aforesaid clip it utilized to, and lasts precisely the aforesaid magnitude of time.

The lone difference, of course, is that helium was warming up connected the different handbasket and moving to the different hallway aft attempting his finishing changeable from the precise country of the court.

Westbrook gives himself 2 shots to marque it. If helium hits the first, helium sprints off, happy. Same if helium hits the 2nd one. But if helium misses both, helium inactive sprints into the hallway, somewhat little pleased. Routine, successful this case, is much important than results.

He has been backmost successful Oklahoma City arsenic a visiting subordinate with the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers and Clippers. But this clip feels different. Maybe due to the fact that their favourite lad is present lasting successful the mode of the adjacent large squad that has sprung from the aftermath helium near behind. Maybe due to the fact that he's older now, and hasn't recovered a location that loved him the mode OKC did, since helium chose to permission successful 2019.

The communicative of however Westbrook landed connected the Denver Nuggets is not what you deliberation it is. This was not the past halt connected the section bid helium has been taking done the last years of his Hall of Fame career. Or immoderate formation of fancy from the caput of Jokic, basketball's elusive genius.

The Nuggets had coveted Westbrook for a fewer years earlier they yet signed him arsenic a escaped cause this offseason, erstwhile the LA Clippers, similar truthful galore others, decided the afloat Westbrook acquisition wasn't worthy it anymore.

They had talked astir signing him aft the Los Angeles Lakers discarded him successful a February 2023 commercialized to the Utah Jazz, wherever helium was promptly bought out. And determination were those successful the Nuggets enactment who, sources told ESPN, believed their radical of hard-working, enormously skilled, yet somewhat quiescent radical of players needed someone, with "a spot of spice," arsenic squad president Josh Kroenke precocious described Westbrook, to get implicit the playoff hump they kept crashing into.

No 1 successful the league tin bring the benignant of vigor to his teams that Westbrook does. But it's astir intolerable to harness.

But the thought was inactive enticing capable to the Nuggets backmost past due to the fact that Jokic, who they believed was the champion subordinate successful the world, was squarely successful his prime, and they knew the model to triumph an NBA title closes a batch faster if you support bumping up against the aforesaid walls.

Ultimately, the Nuggets decided against it, sources said, due to the fact that they disquieted Westbrook would destabilize the locker country and undercut the assurance of constituent defender Jamal Murray.

That determination proved wise. The Nuggets went connected to triumph their archetypal title a fewer months later.

But this past offseason was different. They didn't support their title past season. They regressed, losing successful the 2nd circular again aft cardinal relation players departed successful escaped bureau and the youngsters who were expected to regenerate them were dilatory to bloom. That couldn't hap again, they thought. Not with Jokic playing amended than ever successful his age-30 season.

So the Nuggets went for it, knowing the antheral is simply a quality pros and cons list.

On the pro side: Westbrook is fiery, focused, ever competitive, ever available.

On the con: He tin beryllium moody, retired of power connected the court, stubborn, immature erstwhile helium doesn't get his way.

All of that has revealed itself this play and past some. Westbrook has been precisely what the Nuggets needed astatine times -- and astatine others has besides been their undoing. He has single-handedly won and mislaid them games. He has inspired large loyalty and large annoyance among teammates -- sometimes connected the aforesaid day.

They are each keenly alert of however hard it is to beryllium connected idiosyncratic truthful volatile -- and helium mightiness be, too.

"My quality to beryllium a unit of quality connected the level is what I pridefulness myself on," Westbrook said aft helping the Nuggets adjacent retired the Clippers successful Game 7 of their first-round series. "Whatever that looks similar -- it whitethorn beryllium a turnover, a missed shot, a steal, a dunk, a missed 3, a made 3 -- it's going to beryllium each of that. You instrumentality it for however it comes, and immoderate happens, you spell with it. I've ever been similar that."

On April 1, the Nuggets experienced astir each of this successful a span of 15 seconds.

With 14.2 seconds near successful treble overtime, the Nuggets up 139-138, Westbrook intercepted a walk from Anthony Edwards and took off, with the accidental to crystal the game, 1 successful which Jokic had a 60-point triple-double.

But Westbrook missed a point-blank layup -- adjacent worse, leaving clip of the timepiece for different Timberwolves possession.

On the adjacent play, Westbrook lagged down and didn't spot an unfastened Nickeil Alexander-Walker successful the corner, and past fouled him shooting arsenic helium sprinted toward him successful trying to recover. Alexander-Walker made the 3 escaped throws to plaything the crippled for Minnesota.

It was a brutal nonaccomplishment and Westbrook did not code his relation successful it for days.

Eight days later, interim manager David Adelman showed however helium was going to instrumentality a firmer manus successful managing Westbrook. Former manager Mike Malone, aggregate sources said, had erred connected the broadside of giving Westbrook the benignant of latitude connected and disconnected the tribunal that Jokic and Murray got -- which didn't beryllium good with everyone. And which, ironically, was wherefore Westbrook wasn't successful municipality erstwhile Malone and wide manager Calvin Booth some were fired and Adelman was fixed the occupation connected an interim basis.

He'd been granted support to walk the disconnected time astatine location with his household successful Los Angeles, which successful crook led to a speech among the Nuggets decision-makers whether helium should beryllium asked to instrumentality to Denver and beryllium with the squad arsenic it tried to regroup, oregon conscionable them -- arsenic antecedently planned -- successful Sacramento the adjacent day. Ultimately, helium met them successful Sacramento.

The precise archetypal crippled of Adelman's tenure, aft Westbrook missed a 3-pointer, a abbreviated jumper and a layup connected consecutive possessions aboriginal successful the 4th quarter, Adelman subbed successful second-year constituent defender Jalen Pickett for him and fto Pickett play the remainder of the crunch-time minutes arsenic Denver held connected to halt a four-game losing streak. Westbrook finished with a season-low 17 minutes.

The constituent was made.

The whirlwind continued into the opening of the playoffs.

After a first-round nonaccomplishment successful which Westbrook noticeably pouted erstwhile helium was taken retired astatine the extremity of the game, 1 subordinate told ESPN, "It's crazy. [He's] changed the full vibe and tone of our team."

But aft different game, an adjunct told ESPN, "Russ was competing his ass off. I can't judge he's inactive doing this successful Year 17. I privation we had 10 of him.'"

MINUTES AFTER THE Nuggets mislaid Game 2 of their first-round bid against the Clippers, Adelman had a problem.

While he'd been astatine the postgame lectern, there'd been a heated treatment betwixt Westbrook and Gordon successful the locker room, aggregate sources told ESPN. Gordon had challenged Westbrook astir his attitude.

Outside the locker room, 1 subordinate relayed wherefore Gordon might've done so.

"He's truthful immature," helium said of Westbrook.

Their play was connected the precipice, nearing a chaotic and dysfunctional extremity to what had been a chaotic and dysfunctional play after the squad fired Malone and Booth with lone 3 games near successful the regular season.

Instead, it seemed to people the opening of a turnaround.

The Nuggets won 3 of their adjacent 4 games to disperse the Clippers, including a blowout Game 7 triumph successful which Westbrook scored 16 points connected 5-for-9 shooting, with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. In the decisive 2nd quarter, successful which Denver outscored LA 37-21, Westbrook played each 12 minutes, scoring 10 points connected 3-of-4 shooting, with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

"The large happening astir this squad is we're not acrophobic to speech honestly with each other," 1 subordinate told ESPN of the Game 2 argument, "and clasp each different accountable."

That's what you accidental erstwhile you win. And astatine slightest for now, Westbrook and the Nuggets person the antecedently ascendant Thunder locked into a Greco-Roman-style battle. Each crippled feels similar a saga. Nobody has immoderate legs near -- but the feline who inactive has much vigor than a lightning charger.

"We've turned the leafage passim the year," Westbrook said aft the triumph successful Game 1 against the Thunder. "There were immoderate ups and downs, but we've done a bully occupation of honing successful connected mistakes and past owning them. Addressing them and communicating. If you privation to spell a agelong mode successful this playoff run, I deliberation you got to beryllium honorable with each other."

These are not things Westbrook has said before. Anywhere.

In galore ways, his superpower is his kryptonite -- that helium ne'er changes, nary substance the unit oregon situation. He sneers astatine the thought of compromise. He astir played himself retired of the league alternatively than judge a seat relation with the Lakers. His erstwhile cause adjacent chopped ties with him implicit it.

"I can't spot different squad doing it," 1 squad root said of the Nuggets' signing Westbrook, aft unceremonious endings with his erstwhile 4 teams, "but I ne'er thought we would bash it."

What is clear, though, is that they had nary different choice. And they wouldn't beryllium present without him.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon and Shams Charania contributed to this report.