Suns Laugh at Hate, Criticism Clippers PG Russell Westbrook Receives

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and forward Kevin Durant simply don't understand why Los Angeles Clippers PG Russell Westbrook gets he hate that he does.

The Phoenix Suns have a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Los Angeles Clippers, and though Kawhi Leonard has missed the last two games with Paul George not making an appearance at all through the first round, it hasn't been easy.

Los Angeles has fought through adversity in a major way, mostly thanks to the efforts of point guard Russell Westbrook. 

There was a point in time where Westbrook was viewed as one of the top players in the league. The former MVP has slowly found himself as a moving piece on different teams as of late, joining the Clippers this season after a failed stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Many thought Westbrook was finished, but his play vs. Phoenix has proved quite the opposite. Westbrook has put up absolute incredible numbers while showing hustle on both ends of the floor:

Russell Westbrook over the last 3 games:

37 PTS, 4 AST, 6 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 58% FG, 50% 3P
30 PTS, 12 AST, 8 REB, 3 STL, 1 BLK
28 PTS, 5 AST, 5 REB, 2 BLK, 56% FG, 66% 3P

🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/GMtjSLG7ow

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 22, 2023

Suns forward Kevin Durant - who spent years with Westbrook in Oklahoma City - says he doesn't understand the hate he gets:

“I feel like the only people that do that too are the people who don't know basketball, you know what I'm saying? And don't know what it's like to compete. I know for me, Russ [Russell Westbrook] is one of my closest friends, you know what I'm saying? And so people that do that, talk crazy probably wish they could be in that situation, you know what I mean?" answered Durant following Game 4.

Suns coach Monty Williams has had to game plan around Westbrook and knows just what he brings to the table.

“I think the thing that’s hard is that he can do it without losing control. He’s got great body control. The thing that’s different with Russ is he can do it with both hands. Most times you know which way a guy’s going and you can play him on that hand. Russ can finish with both hands so it makes it even tougher," Williams said following the game.

"He’s not a normal sized point guard. Russ is a big dude and he likes contact. It has been a task for us but I thought Book did a really good job down the stretch. And there were a couple times where we had late switches and the bigs stepped up and we were able to take their big off the glass or force him to throw it out of bounds. But he’s a tough cover. 

"That’s why I’ve always laughed at all the criticism he’s gotten. It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen an MVP get the kind of criticism that he’s received. And you’re seeing MVP type play these last few games."

No matter how the series unfolds, there's an undisputed amount of respect from Phoenix towards Westbrook.