Westbrook has 7 home advantage? Westbrook is the greatest superstar in the history of the Thunder

On May 6, the match between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder became the focus in the 2025 NBA Playoff Western Conference Semi-Finals. What is particularly striking is that this round of series is nicknamed "Westbrook's home show" - although the game system is still the traditional 2-2-1-1-1, Russell Westbrook seems to have 7 home advantage. The greatest superstar in the history of the Thunder team is now wearing the Nuggets' jersey, but he has gained fanatical support from fans on both sides in this round of the series, creating a rare emotional resonance in NBA playoff history. When the first game of the

series started at Ball Arena in Denver, a moving scene occurred. When Westbrook appeared as the starting point guard of the Nuggets, the familiar "MVP" sounded in the Thunder Expedition fan zone. These fans wearing retro Thunder Blue No. 0 jerseys stood up and applauded with local fans wearing Nuggets jerseys for a period of 1 minute and 28 seconds. Westbrook's eyes were red and he gave a signature "ninja ceremony" to the stands, which immediately ignited social media. Basketball commentator Mark Jackson sighed in the post-match program: "I have been in the industry for 30 years and have never seen a visiting star get such courtesy in the first round of the playoffs. "

This special emotional connection originated from Westbrook's legendary years in the Thunder. Since being selected by the Supersonics in 2008, he has spent 11 seasons at Oscar City, leaving records of the team's scoring champion (18843 points), assist king (6897 times) and steal king (1442 times). In that epic MVP season in 2017, the scene where he took the Thunder through many difficulties is still the most precious memory of Thunder fans. Even though he later went to the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers and Clippers, Oxford fans always regarded him as the "forever child". When 35-year-old Westbrook joined the Nuggets in 2024, Thunder general manager Sam Presti even publicly recommended: "No. 0 will never retire in Oklahoma... until the day he really retired. "

switched to Oklahoma in the third game of the series, a more shocking scene appeared in the Chesapeake Energy Arena. During the warm-up before the game, the 5-minute Westbrook Thunder career highlights were played on the live screen. The soundtrack was the background music "Why Not" when he completed the feat of triple-double average. The Thunder active core core, Homegren, took the initiative to come forward to embrace his seniors, and more than 70% of the fans in the audience wore Westbrook's Thunder jerseys from different periods. Whenever Westbrook holds the ball during the game, the cheers even exceed the volume of the home team's score. Thunder team reporter Royce Young wrote in the column: "This is not betrayal, but the Russian City uses the most basketball method to tell the world - some bonds surpass the winners and loses. "

Westbrook responded to this kind of love with his professional spirit. In the final moment of G3, when the Nuggets were 2 points behind, he broke through and caused Thunder rookie Wallace to foul and received two free throws. The scene became abnormally quiet, as if everyone was waiting for the ending of a script. But Westbrook deliberately missed the second free throw, dragging the game into overtime. After the game, he explained: "I owe this city too much, but I can't repay it by betraying my current teammates." This remark made headlines in major sports media, and Nuggets coach Malone revealed: "Russell said before the game that he should pay tribute to the city of Russia with the purest game. "

This kind of two-way rushing climax in G5. The Denver home stadium specially set up the "Westbrook Corridor" to display classic photos of him during the Thunder period. What's more creative is that the stadium played landmarks in both Oxford and Denver at the same time when the third quarter was paused, symbolically typing the two home occasions into one. When Westbrook made three consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter, the live commentator couldn't help but shouted: "This three-pointer comes from No. 0 in Oklahoma City! " Post-match technical statistics show that the ratings of this game hit a new playoff high in the past five years, and the number of readings on social media related topics exceeded 2 billion.

Basketball sociologist Professor Anderson analyzed this phenomenon and pointed out: "The Westbrook case breaks the loyalty perception of professional sports. He proves that when players inject their souls into a city, the connections established can go beyond the team's boundaries. "Thunder boss Clayton Bennett even proposed to the league that the establishment of "Legendary Player Terms" should be considered in the future, allowing specific players to receive special treatment in the playoffs. Although this proposal caused controversy, NBA President Adam Xiao Hua said he would discuss it seriously: "Emotion is the most precious part of sports. In the sixth game of the series, Westbrook led the Nuggets to advance with a 38-point and 12-assist performance in Oklahoma. When the final whistle sounded, he knelt in the center of the Thunder logo and kissed the floor, then presented the jersey to an old fan on the sidelines wearing his childhood photo T-shirt. This moment was rated as "Sports Moment of the Year" by the Associated Press. Interestingly, at the post-match press conference, Jokic joked: "I have been playing in the NBA for 10 years. For the first time, I feel that the away locker room is more comfortable than home. "Thunder coach Dagnot solemnly said: "One day in the future, we will hang No. 0 on the dome of the arena, and we hope that Russell will wear a Nuggets suit to attend the ceremony. "

The revelation left to the basketball world by this round of the series is far beyond the winner itself. In professional sports with an increasingly strong business atmosphere, the story of Westbrook and Oklahoma proves that when players give sincerely and the city treats each other sincerely, they can create a more eternal legacy than the champion. As Sports Illustrated summarizes: "The 7 home courts are not rule loopholes, but the extra reward for pure love by the God of Basketball. "As the Nuggets continue to move towards the championship, this friendship that crosses the boundaries of the team has become a new annotation in NBA culture.