The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz vs Oklahoma City Thunder: Who has the upper hand at each position?

By Tyler Thorpe

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 23: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz hug after the game on December 23, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - DECEMBER 23: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz hug after the game on December 23, 2017 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – APRIL 09: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looking down the court from the bench during the game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on April 9, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Russell Westbrook
MIAMI, FL – APRIL 09: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder looking down the court from the bench during the game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on April 9, 2018 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Russell Westbrook /

PG: Ricky Rubio vs. Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook, fresh off averaging a triple-double for two straight seasons, is far and away the most talented player in this series. Over the last two seasons, the Thunder have an astonishing record of 54-14 when Westbrook records a triple-double. That record falls to 39-54 when he falls short.

While the numbers aren’t everything, Westbrook’s sheer competitiveness and night-in-night-out effort is simply unheard of in today’s NBA.

Ricky Rubio, on the other hand, will be playing in his first ever playoff game on Sunday. One of my biggest concerns is whether or not Rubio will be able to play within himself while playing on the game’s biggest stage.

Rubio has had a fantastic season and has played a crucial role in Utah’s regular-season turnaround, however, this matchup isn’t close.

Westbrook isn’t just a top player in this series, he is a top-five player in the entire league. It won’t matter if Rubio lives up to the moment, Westbrook is clearly the better player here and probably OKC’s best chance at besting Utah’s conference-best defense.

Advantage: OKC

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