The Thunder did what they had to do on Friday night. They copped a thrilling win at home to narrow it down to a 2-1 series against the Portland Trailblazers. What's memorable about this one was the way they did it. Russell Westbrook's passion was in full force in the second half, as he practically backed up a Brinks truck worth of shit-talking in Damian Lillard and the visiting Blazers' direction. Numerous "Rock the baby" celebrations, several obscenities directed at the bench, and a host of, "He can't guard me!", "He's too small!", related epithets.

But for all the shit that Russell talked, Damian Lillard was totally game to bring it back full force. He responded to the tune of a 25-point third quarter! However, the fourth quarter wasn't his to win, as he only scored a few points in the crucial final period. He ended up finishing with 32-4-6 while Russ poured in 33-5-11 on 11/22. The battle of NBA little men was everything I wanted and more.

Have a look at the Rhythm of the Game below for the recap and Takeaways for afterthoughts.

Source: Washington Post

Rhythm Of The Game

This one turned into an ugly slog of a game halfway through the first. These teams were just jacking up bricks like a YMCA team full of five year olds on a Saturday afternoon. Oklahoma City's typically toxic shooting line was apparently carrying over to the visiting Blazers. It was all looking bad until Paul George manage to nail one from deep, then CJ McCollum responded with a triple of his own. We were tied 16-16 with less than three minutes to play in the first. This felt like good old 90's playoff basketball. Portland lead after the first period, 22-21.

The second quarter was turning into more of the same. it was like two rams butting heads on a high mountaintop. The Thunder were doing a great job of controlling the ball with numerous drawn charges and a deliberate halfcourt attack, but they squandered opportunities to build a sizable lead.

The scoreboard hovered between a tie and one-point game almost the entire quarter, but a pair of free throws and highlight-worthy transition oop served to recapture momentum for the ravenous Thunder. It was only a four-point game, but the lead felt meaningful for the pace we were given. OKC's burgeoning energy ended up materializing into a ten-point halftime lead, 39-49.

The third quarter began, and it was quickly turning into a ferocious classic "Bustin' that ass for years!!" Westbrook game! I was totally here for it! Russell got a gargantuan block on a driving Lillard, and slipped in a fading and-1 to recapture that Thunder momentum even more. OKC stretched it to a thirteen point lead before Portland decided to wake up. A signature Westbrook "rock the baby" celebration followed by Russ mouthing "too small!" to the crowd in reference of Lillard was just the cherry on top.

Source: OregonLive.com

But just like that pain that Russ brought upon Dame, Lillard brought it back tenfold with a pair of huge threes to cut it to five! Westbrook was putting on a show, but Dame showed he wasn't going to take this lying down one bit. Lillard was a walking bucket in the third. He had 25 points in the third quarter alone! OKC's three-ball was still humming at an even clip, so they were able to keep the Blazers at a stiff arms distance. Thunder in control 86-82. By the looks of it, we were in for an explosive fourth quarter.

It didn't take long for Portland to tie this up at 89-all. We were witnessing a high-level playoff standoff of epic proportions. Lillard was out there making plays, but he wasn't scoring at his previous rate of excellence in the third. It was like a window opened up for OKC's Dennis Schroeder to make an impact after that. He got a few needed baskets to keep the Thunder ahead with breathing room, while Kanter made his own key contributions for Portland.

Once we sailed past the 2:30 mark, OKC went up by ten thanks to more dynamic play from Russell Westbrook, and the Blazers still just couldn't hit jack. This one felt like it was on the way to being over. OKC ahead 113-103 with 2:09 to play. A few minutes later, the inevitable happened. OKC walked away with the victory, and it felt like this series had life once again. Thunder win 108-120 behind a barrage of three's, amped D, and multiple helpings of Russell Westbrook ferocity.

Source: MSN.com

Takeaways

Every series with the Thunder is a testy one, isn't it? In the final few minute when the game was out of reach, Russell Westbrook was talking a whole mess of trash to Damian Lillard, and to just the world in general. He's the driving force of this team, and the main reason they're so fun to watch when he's on. A huge line of 33-5-11 on an unconventionally productive 11/22. Westbrook was the man tonight.

Man, I'm really glad OKC won this game. I thought there was no chance they could cop a game like this with Westbrook as a focal point. Russ has been thrust into a higher position of offensive responsibility thanks to Paul George's nagging shoulder injury. When the Thunder had to rely on Westbrook this year, they'd normally lose. Now we have a series with a glimmer of hope. I don't expect Russ alone to carry them to victory in three more games, but he certainly did his job tonight and deserves high praise.

Damian Lillard and the Blaze put up a hell of a fight themselves. I loved it when he and Russ were going mano a mano in the third. Through the years, just about every series involving the Thunder has the potential to be explosive. When playoff seeding was still up in the air with a few games left in the schedule, you would find yourself saying things like, "Oh the Rockets might play the Thunder in the first round? THAT would be a good series!" Replace the Rockets with Jazz/Nuggets/Warriors/Clippers based on the where the Thunder seed landed throughout the year and just about every series had the potential to be great. That's in large part because of Westbrook's maniacal nature. I don't know if he's ever going to win a championship, but when I'm talking to my kids or grandkids about ballers of year's past, I'm going to talk about how games involving Russ were some of the most heated exchanges of our era.