The final 13 seconds received all of the headlines, but the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Game 1 collapse against the Denver Nuggets also had plenty of interesting secondary storylines. One being the reception Russell Westbrook received when he checked in.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the free-throw line, Westbrook’s entrance usurped the MVP chants into a standing ovation. Since being traded in 2019, OKC crowds have always given the former MVP winner an ovation. But doing it in the playoffs rubbed some folks the wrong way.
The OKC crowd course-corrected in the Thunder’s 149-106 Game 2 win over the Nuggets. No cheers for Westbrook when he checked in. In fact, there were some faint boos. They only grew louder as the game progressed when he made a bucket or got into a scuffle with Jaylin Williams.
Like the Thunder, the OKC crowd threw its best punch in Game 2. It was the best playoff advantage yet. You could barely hear the person next to you as the first seed doubled the Nuggets on the scoreboard for most of the second half.
After the win, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked his thoughts on the controversial cheers for an opponent. The MVP finalist played nice and said he loved to see Westbrook get the love he heard from the OKC crowd, despite it being in a playoff game.
“The ovation is beautiful. The things he’s done for this city and organization, he deserves it, no matter what. What he’s done for the game period is special. Just because he’s on the other team doesn’t change anything,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Our crowd, they got it. They do what they want when they want. They always have our back and that’s all that matters. To me and to our team. As long as they always have our backs, we’ll be great. They can cheer for us and have our backs.”
After Westbrook trolled Thunder fans for the lackluster Game 1 environment, the crowd returned with a point to prove in Game 2. Facing a possible 0-2 series deficit on their way to Denver, the Thunder’s adrenaline was through the roof thanks to an unreal atmosphere.