Why Russ is still driving the bus

Midway through the fourth quarter Monday night, Russell Westbrook made one of his pull-up jumpers at the elbow of the free-throw line.

The ball was barely through the net when Miami called a timeout. Oklahoma City had battled all the way back from a big early deficit and was on the verge of not only securing a playoff berth but also blowing open the game.

As Westbrook turned to head to the bench, TV cameras caught his expression. It wasn't a look of joy or excitement or relief.

It was the face of resolve.

The steely eyes and the set jaw seemed to say, "This is when we win, and I am going to get us there."

On the last day of the regular season as we stand on the verge of the NBA Playoffs, the role of Russell Westbrook is clear. He is the driver of this bus. He is the director of this cruise. The Thunder goes where this guy takes it.

That isn't exactly a new role, of course; the Russ Bus rolled all last season.

But this season was supposed to be different. When the Thunder acquired Paul George and Carmelo Anthony during the offseason, part of the motivation was getting some much-needed help for Westbrook. He'd carried such a heavy load

a year ago that it was unsustainable. George and Anthony would take some of the weight off Westbrook. Not eliminate it, but definitely reduce it.

In some ways, life has been easier for Wesbrook. He doesn’t have to score as much; his scoring average is down from 31.6 points a game a season ago to 25.6 this season. He is getting better shots; his shooting percentage is up from 42.5 a year ago to 45.0 this season. Those numbers help tell the story.

But just looking at Westbrook paints an even clearer picture. You can see that he's not as exhausted now as he was a year ago at this time.

Then, he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He expended so much energy every time the Thunder was on the court that fatigue was understandable.

Now, he looks fresher even though he's actually playing more minutes per game this season (36.4) than he did last season (34.6).

But even though the pressure and the burden on Westbrook has eased, the dependence is largely the same. This team with its vastly improved roster depends on him every bit as much as last year's squad did. How is that possible? The truth is, Westbrook spent a chunk of the season deferring. He tried to let everyone figure out where they fit. How could George and Anthony best be used?

How would Steven Adams and Jerami Grant, Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson work best together?

But then, there came a point when Westbrook seemed to make a realization — if this team was going to win, he was going to have to take charge.

He was going to have to be Russell Wesbrook the way he's always been.

"We need that for us to become the best version of ourselves," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "Just like we need the same thing from Paul, Steven and Carmelo and our bench unit. Nobody’s different. Everybody’s got to be reliable and dependable.”

Having a team full of guys who are reliable and dependable would be great.

That would be awesome. But pretty clearly, this is not a team with a bunch of guys who play that way.

Hence, this has been a season as unpredictable as a toddler after he’s raided the cookie jar.

That the Thunder still has a chance to secure the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference is a testament to Westbrook. He's been the stabilizing force. He's been the rock on which the Thunder stands.

He's not been perfect, of course. There are plenty of occasions where his shot selection or his lacking defense makes you want to jump through the TV screen and strangle him.

But take him off this team, and even with George and Anthony, it’s nearly impossible to see this bunch having a shot at home-court advantage in the first round.

The next time anyone wants to talk about how difficult it is for guys to play with Westbrook, tell them to pipe down.

This season has shown how difficult it would be to play without him.

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok or view her personality page at newsok.com/jennicarlson.