Cousins: Westbrook, Thunder ‘got what they’ve been working on’ with flagrant foul
DeMarcus Cousins suggested on Tuesday that it might be time he started to “send Christmas cards” to NBA referees and the league office.
The Pelicans center seems unlikely to be on Russell Westbrook’s holiday mailing list.
A day after he was ejected from the Pelicans’ 114-107 win against the Thunder for a flagrant foul penalty 2 against Westbrook, Cousins told reporters that Westbrook “did a good job of selling” the foul.
Cousins said that in striking Westbrook with an elbow as the Thunder guard attempted to steal a thirdquarter rebound, “all I did was use my fundamentals and I got punished for it,” according to The Associated Press.
“It’s crazy,” Cousins said. “When you start playing the game of basketball as a big man, they tell you, ‘When you get a rebound, keep your elbows high and out,’ you know, to protect the ball from guards coming in stripping.”
Cousins “expected the ejection,” he said, based on his reputation with officials.
He joked that he should “send the refs a Christmas card.”
Cousins also suggested that Westbrook played up the contact after failing to do so in a game earlier this season in Portland.
During that Nov. 5 loss to the Blazers, Westbrook appeared to take a hit to the face and fell to the court, staying there briefly. Officials did not conduct a review for a flagrant foul, though Thunder coach Billy Donovan said he asked for one.
Donovan said after the game that he “probably didn’t ask Russell to stay down on the court long enough to get it reviewed,” and he — like Westbrook and Paul George — was fined $15,000 for his postgame comments.
After he took the elbow from Cousins, Westbrook hit the floor and stayed there.
“It shows that Russ is coachable,” Cousins said on Tuesday. “He listens and they got what they’ve been working on.”
Stick to the plan
The Thunder’s defense has been the league’s most effective in first quarters and has tailed off steadily thereafter.
But center Steven Adams said OKC — which is allowing an NBA-best 84.5 points per 100 possessions in the first quarter and 109.8 per 100 possessions in the fourth — isn’t struggling with in-game adjustments.
Instead, Adams said, the Thunder is failing to execute its game plan throughout, not giving its strategy a chance to succeed.
“You got to give it a chance and if it doesn’t work, that’s when you can change,” Adams said. “But if you’re not giving it a chance to actually work, there’s no point in changing it until you give it a good crack.”
Return game
The Thunder’s game against the Warriors on Wednesday features the return of a nine-year fixture of the Oklahoma City franchise.
No, not that one.
Michael Ravina, Golden State’s director of basketball communications, spent nine seasons in the Thunder’s public relations office as manager of basketball communications. This is Ravina’s first season in his current position with the Warriors.