National Basketball Association

Russell Westbrook's dud vs. Boston Celtics brings back unflattering nickname

Updated May. 19, 2021 8:27 p.m. ET

The new "Mr. Triple-Double" had a less savory nickname of years past pop up after a poor showing Tuesday.

Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards were roughed up by Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in the battle for the Eastern Conference's 7-seed in the NBA's Play-In Tournament.

Tatum dropped 50 points in the 118-100 win for Boston, sparking discussion about his superstar status.

It was a different story for Westbrook.

The 32-year-old guard had 20 points on the evening but went 6-of-18 from the floor, including going 0-for-4 from 3-point range.

That was when the other, inauspicious nickname for Westbrook reared its head.

As Skip Bayless reiterated on Wednesday's episode of "Undisputed," Westbrook turned into "Westbrick" against the Celtics.

"Guess who went missing? My man Russell Westbrook," Bayless said. "Right on schedule, in a crucial playoff game, he turned back into Russell Westbrick. Because he can brick them like nobody can brick them."

What made Westbrook's dud Tuesday so glaring is that he had a fantastic regular season – and close to the regular season – with the Wizards.

Not only did he average a triple-double, with 22.2 points, 11.7 assists and 11.5 rebounds per game, but he also broke the record for career triple-doubles in league history.

In the five games leading to Tuesday's loss to Boston, Westbrook was averaging 27.8 points, 15.6 assists and 12.8 rebounds.

But on "The Herd," Colin Cowherd argued that Westbrook's play-in performance shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"Last night is what he is in the playoffs," Cowherd said. "… He's got no feel for the game. If he was a sports car, he would never downshift. If he was a NASCAR driver, he'd hit every third wall. … Since [Kevin Durant] left Russell Westbrook, folks, he's played 25 playoff games. He's won seven! … This is what he is. This is what he is in the playoffs."

Colin Cowherd talks Russell Westbrook after Wizards fall to Celtics: 'He's got no feel for the game' | THE HERD

Colin Cowherd talks Russell Westbrook after his Washington Wizards fell to the Boston Celtics in Tuesday's play-in game.

To Cowherd's point, Westbrook's numbers take a sizable dip when the lights are brightest and he doesn't have Durant around.

In his career, Westbrook is shooting at a 43.7% clip from the field and 30.5% from beyond the arc. But in his 25 postseason games since the Durant-Westbrook split, Westbrook is shooting 39.2% from the floor and 29.0% from distance.

What gives?

FOX Sports NBA analyst Chris Broussard offered an explanation as to why Westbrook seems to struggle once the playoffs begin.

"Even in a play-in … you still can focus in on a team unlike you really can in the regular season," Broussard explained. "And so you can take away more of what they like to do. And Russ, as great as he is, doesn't have the skill set to kind of fall back on. He's not a great shooter. He's not even a really good shooter. So he doesn't have the 3-pointer to fall back on. He doesn't really have the jump shot, period, to fall back on."

The good news for Westbrook is Tuesday's game wasn't win-or-go-home.

He and the Wizards still have a playoff lifeline against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, when the two teams square off in another play-in game to determine the East's No. 8 seed.

Which of Westbrook's nicknames will be on the lips of pundits come Friday morning?

We'll soon find out.

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