Russell Westbrook was confident after winning one game for the Lakers and Bill Simmons believes it’s his lack of self-awareness.
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The Lakers’ win on Friday against the Toronto Raptors snapped a three-game losing streak. They got a desperate win, having dropped 12 of their previous 15 games. The Purple and Golds needed somebody to step up apart from LeBron James, and it was Russell Westbrook who came through.
In the last play of the game which looked like another certain Lakers defeat with the Raptors up at 116-113 and having the possession. When Precious Achiuwa was on the ball with just 5 seconds remaining in the game, Brodie came up with a big steal and sunk a clutch 3.
This play forced overtime and the LA team won the game 128-103, also snapping an 11-game road losing streak.
That performance came in the game after a 124-104 Timberwolves loss on Wednesday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Patrick Beverley talked trash and mocked Westbrook and the Lakers multiple times in the game. And so, Russell had to answer when the reporters asked him how did he feel about the shot amid all the criticism of his shots.
“Um, I got 23,000 points,” Westbrook said. “How about that?” Corny you say? That’s an underrated description for him.
“Russell Westbrook is defiant and lacks self-awareness”: Bill Simmons
Everyone will agree that being just a second point guard to get 23,000 points in the history of the game is incredible. Well, he’s been a go-getter for the last 14 years in the league, but there are questions that were it a fluke game, or it’ll be a regular thing from now on.
The 2017 MVP believes it for real if not anyone else and looked a bit proud about it too irrespective of the fact that he has cost Lakers many more wins than the games he has won for them. And Bill Simmons of The Ringer believes Russell lacks self-awareness.
“It’s amazing how defiant Russ is when something good finally happened. Like when for once he played well, reporters paid him compliments and then he went ‘see! I told you I’ve gone more!’ The lack of self-awareness.”
In the very next game on Saturday, despite a 22-10-8 performance by Brodie, the Lakers lost the game 127-119 against his former employers, the Washington Wizards. This looks like doom for both Russell and the Lakers.
