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As Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the free-throw line, the OKC crowd seamlessly went from "MVP" chants to a standard ovation. The old saying goes that you never forget your high school sweetheart. Oklahoma City Thunder fans can attest to that with Russell Westbrook.
In a bench role, Westbrook checked in for the Denver Nuggets to applause. He got the best of his former squad with 18 points and the game-winning assist to Aaron Gordon in the fastbreak for the 3-pointer.
The ups and downs are still there for Westbrook. The 36-year-old is the lone bench player the Nuggets trust to play big minutes in their six-player rotation. But against the Thunder, he was a positive in their Game 1 steal.
The Thunder left the court in shock after their 121-119 Game 1 loss. Playing with fire for most of the second half, they were finally burned in the final seconds. Both teams exchanged intentional fouls to see who'd blink first. It turned out to be Chet Holmgren as two misses at the charity stripe gave the Nuggets enough leeway to hit a game-winner.
In a sick twist of reality, Westbrook was the middleman between Christian Braun's defensive rebound and Gordon's rebound. Upbeat in a good mood after the surprising result, the future Hall-of-Famer reiterated his love for the OKC fanbase six years after he last played for the Thunder.
"Like I've always said, I'm truly grateful and indebted to the fans here. They gave me a chance. They believed in me when I was a little, young teenager," Westbrook said. "But the reason why they love me is my competitive nature, competitive spirit. I'm gonna do that for my team. Love is always there."
The Thunder must quickly forget their disastrous ending. This is what the NBA playoffs are about. Game 2's importance has been increased tenfold. They must split their first two home games to avoid going to Denver in a 0-2 series hole.
Perhaps the Thunder crowd can help with that. After all, OKC is known as one of the NBA's best homecourt advantages. Paycom Center rocked in Game 1 when it looked like OKC was on the verge of a win with a double-digit lead. But according to Westbrook, he's heard the place be louder.
"It was loud tonight but it was louder when we was here," Westbrook said with a smile and eye wink.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Russell Westbrook says it's all love with Thunder fans after ovation
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