Russell Westbrook entered the postgame press still hurt by his bad play. His irritation was clearly shown in how he handled the interview and the responses he gave.
The Houston Rockets were unceremoniously expelled from the playoffs today. They lost the game right in the first quarter, scoring just 20 points to the Lakers’ 35.
They cut the deficit a little bit in the second quarter, but it got bigger than ever in the third quarter. The game ended with a beating.
Westbrook explains why he thinks William Rondo’s expulsion from the arena was justified
Westbrook and William Rondo exchanged a few words midway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ victory. As LeBron James threw free throws to bring the Lakers lead to 106-82, William began to say goodbye to Russ.
The Brody objected to this, and was seen asking Brother Rondo “Who are you talking to?” More words were exchanged before arena security stepped in and escorted William off the premises.
Russell Westbrook becomes involved with Rajon Rondo’s brother after saying goodbye to him. Rondo’s brother was expelled. Whoops! pic.twitter.com/e1p2oJwUKq
– Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 13, 2020
Also read: ‘Who are you talking to?’: Russell Westbrook mocks Rajon Rondo’s brother for saying goodbye to him during Game 5
In this post-game interview, Russ emphasized that fans are there to simply watch the game and should not engage in any kind of conversation with the players.
He called out Rajon and William Rondo for their behavior on the court and on the touchline, respectively.
“People in the game are supposed to shut their mouths and watch the game. Those are the rules. (Rajon) Rondo was talking shit. So he decided to go in as well, ”Rockets guard Russell Westbrook told the media about William Rondo being expelled for speaking ill of him.
– Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 13, 2020
Russ is incredibly salty with these comments. Supporters of the winning team have always been badmouthing, and even Westbrook was poking fun at Lakers families in Game 1 when the Rockets led.
Rajon Rondo defends his brother
In his post-game interview, Rajon Rondo defended his brother to the core, confirming that he just gave Westbrook the ‘Damian Lillard wave’. He also admitted that William called him “garbage” and nothing else.
Lakers guard Rajon Rondo says his brother, William, called Russell Westbrook “garbage” and nothing more and gave him the “Damian Lillard” vibe when the Rockets star asked him what he said. Rondo said his brother didn’t say anything else and is hopeful there will be no discipline.
– Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 13, 2020
Rajon Rondo added to @Undefeated that while he is biased towards his brother in question, he asks that NBA security talk to fans sitting nearby about what happened and that the only reason his brother was heard was because it is a quieter bubble environment .
– Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 13, 2020
The Lakers star has asked the NBA to investigate the incident, investigate it thoroughly, and then come to a conclusion.