Russell Westbrook's Act is Getting Old, Even for Thunder Fans

Russell Westbrook went 10-for-31 from the floor during Oklahoma City’s Game 3 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. The inability to capitalize on home-court advantage could be the event we look upon as the deathblow for Kevin Durant’s time with the Thunder.

Durant, by comparison, shot 10-for-18. Westbrook’s habitual reluctance to pass the basketball to his superstar teammate cropped up at the most inopportune time.

He also showed up to the arena dressed like this.

Insert your own 1980s movie reference here.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with Westrbook’s flamboyant outfits. He marches to the beat of his own drummer — and, apparently — his own tailor as well. Deep down, I think it’s a non-issue.

That opinion is not shared by everyone. The nail that stands out tends to get hammered. And when Westbrook woefully underperforms, his unique sartorial choices become an easy target.

So does his on-court demeanor. Last night he openly mocked a referee who had the audacity to tell him to wait before checking in.

Today’s NBA is a place where seemingly every call is argued and players have a long leash to voice their opinions. But if the situation were reversed and a ref did this to a player, there would be major outrage.

The point here is that Westbrook is not making it easy for anyone, including Thunder fans, to have his back. He’s not on the fast track to popularity anywhere outside of San Antonio.

He probably doesn’t care. But if this continues and Durant leaves, the fingers will be pointed in his direction. And the criticism won’t be as easy to dismiss as a referee telling you to follow the rules.