In one possession, Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets faced up with Utah Jazz defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert. In a matchup between the two titans, it was the former MVP who won over the two-time Defensive Player of the Year awardee. For Westbrook, shot-blocker or not, he attacks them all with vicious intent.
Russ attacks every opponent the same way 😤
(via @SalmanAliNBA) pic.twitter.com/T3kq7XJzv9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 10, 2020
This will likely be the look for the entire Rockets squad moving forward. After sending Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks, head coach Mike D'Antoni has been fielding 6-foot-5 PJ Tucker at the center spot.
They succeeded in this endeavor against Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers. But in the following game, they were pummeled by the Phoenix Suns — a game where Westbrook sat out. Against the Jazz, they were a few seconds away from victory after Westbrook delivered a pass to a wide-open Tucker who drained a 3-pointer from the short corner. But as luck would have it, Bojan Bogdanovic knocked down a buzzer-beater to break the hearts of the Rockets.
Nevertheless, it's too early to tell if the trade dismantled or strengthened the Rockets. After all, Mike D'Antoni knows his team better than the critics who continue to lambast his playbook And lest we forget, the team has Westbrook and James Harden, two former MVPs who are well within the prime of their careers. History has shown that Harden is very capable of breaking down the toughest defenses. Westbrook, too, with his trademark tenacity, is not bothered one bit even when faced with a shot-blocker like Gobert.
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