“This is seriously pathetic. The NBA is about to be laughing at the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’re getting exposed,” wrote Skip Bayless during the early part of Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Well, the veteran analyst should have waited a little bit longer, as he had to eat his words by half-time. By the time 24 minutes of gametime had elapsed, it was the OKC that was leading by 60-46!

Therefore, the last thing Nuggets fans would have wanted at that stage was for the coach to continue putting the faith in someone who kept flailing. Unfortunately, that is what David Adelman did.

Russell Westbrook certainly did not win himself any love from fans after the first half. After all, in 12:53 minutes of playtime, the player averaged only 3 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists! He had shot only 1-3 (33.3%) field goals, 1-2 (50.0%) 3-pointers, and 0-0 (0.0%) free throws. Westbrook’s efficiency rating was at -23, which was enough to highlight that the veteran was simply not performing at the level he was expected to. Combine that with his 2 turnovers, and it was no secret why Westbrook would have been potentially getting from the few Nuggets fans at the Paycom Center.

Then again, the blame might not be fully on Westbrook. The 36-year-old might have simply been following the instructions his team’s interim head coach was giving out. NBA on ESPN was able to capture a hot-mic moment of David Adelman. In the same, he was captured yelling at his players, “Stay together! Mentally tough! Great start. Get a shot up. Score. Miss. Get Back. Run our stuff through Aaron, all right. Gotta have a run. First run is us. They’re gonna make runs, man. We made a run. They made a run”.

The strategy, as it turned out, wasn’t too good, as the OKC ended the first half with a 60-46 score, aka a 14-point margin. If there is one thing you do not want to give to the rival team during Game 7 of a playoff series, it is that big of a lead.

David Adelman had already made things bad for the team. Russell Westbrook’s poor performance did not help things. It is a belief that not only the author holds, but also several of the other NBA fans out there do.

NBA fans criticize Russell Westbrook over poor performance

One social media user wrote:

Well, under the terms of his 2-year, $6.772 million contract, Westbrook is not set to be an unrestricted free agent till the 2026-27 season. Furthermore, he is only 36 years old right now. Therefore, like it or not, the player will be there at least in the next season.

One individual wrote, “Russell Westbrook’s careless and out-of-control play completely changed the tide of this game. It’s time to retire. #Nuggets”. Believe it or not, but Russell Westbrook made history through his recent performance. He moved ahead of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry (954) for 18th on the all-time playoff assists list. Unfortunately, the same won’t matter when the Nuggets get eliminated, and one of the veteran players had an efficiency rating in the negative double digits.

One social media user wrote, “Aaron Gordon on a Grade 2 hamstring strain and still outperforming Russell Westbrook 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂”. While Westbrook has been earning the criticism from fans over the last few minutes, or even days, Aaron Gordon has been receiving their love. Back in September 2024, Gordon had clearly stated, “I’m doing whatever I can to get Russell Westbrook a ring…”. He made major contributions through his efforts during the tournament. Therefore, some of the fans might have been wishing that Westbrook reciprocated in a similar manner.

One individual wrote, “There is literally nobody more undeserving of a ring than Russell Westbrook. So glad he gonna retire ringless”.

Well, Russell Westbrook has not announced his retirement. However, he did provide a cryptic statement on his Nuggets future during the post-game Q&A session. When NBA reporter Vinny Benedetto asked the player about his decision on his player option for next season, he looked at his watch and asked what the reporter was wearing tomorrow. When Benedetto said he didn’t know, Westbrook said “exactly” and walked off.

One social media user wrote, “You can’t win with Russell Westbrook. I been saying it since 2011. He literally came in & ruined all momentum.” It would have certainly been a disappointment for fans who thought that this year would be Russell Westbrook’s chance to hold the championship trophy after 17 years. The player still has a chance to prove his critics wrong, but time is running out for him. Overall, the majority of the reactions aligned against Russell Westbrook. Amidst rumors of trades, it remains to be seen just what the future holds for the 36-year-old.