Utah Jazz: Russell Westbrook vows to shut down Ricky Rubio in Game 4

After Ricky Rubio’s sensational performance in Game 3, OKC’s Russell Westbrook vowed to shut him down in Game 4 against the Utah Jazz.

Between the absolutely electric atmosphere within Vivint Smart Home Arena to the incredibly entertaining performance on the court that saw the Utah Jazz snag a Game 3 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 2-1 series lead, Saturday night was one to remember for Jazz fans.

Although various members of the Jazz roster had experienced some struggles in the first two contests, the entire team stepped up in Game 3 to put together their most complete game and earn a decisive victory. They led by as many as 20 in the fourth quarter and eventually put the Thunder away by a score of 115-102.

Joe Ingles, who had struggled for much of the series, put up a whopping 21 points with five made threes. Derrick Favors was his typical steady self as he went for 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and was a game-high plus-26. Rudy Gobert had a monstrous 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting while pulling down 12 rebounds and Donovan Mitchell quietly had 22 points with four made threes while pulling down 11 rebounds of his own.

But the hero of the night without a doubt was Ricky Rubio. Rubio was absolutely stunning the entire game as he converted on a number of tough shots to end the first half with 19 points, and hit a dazzling three-pointer to beat the third quarter buzzer. It’s here below for your viewing pleasure:

He would go on to finish the game with 26 points on 9-of-18 shooting, 11 rebounds and 10 assists – the first Utah Jazz triple-double since Carlos Boozer in 2008 and the first postseason Jazz triple-double since John Stockton in 2001. Not only did Rubio’s gutsy performance help him wend his way further into our hearts, but he’s now carved his name into the Utah Jazz history books.

But, as you can imagine, especially considering Rubio’s league-wide reputation as a ‘non-shooter’, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t take too kindly to his brilliant performance and solid shooting display. One man in particular – the man whose primary job on defense was to hold Rubio in check – was especially frustrated with the outcome. The man I speak of, of course, is none other than Russell Westbrook.

While at the podium for post-game interviews, OKC’s Big 3 definitely looked somewhat shell-shocked after the loss, which was a significant difference from the reactions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony following Game 2 who seemed cool as cucumbers despite the defeat as PG joked about his ‘Playoff P’ nickname. The three of them have certainly come to realize that this Jazz team isn’t one to be trifled with and know that the challenge ahead of them in Game 4 will be daunting.

But Westbrook made it quite clear that he wasn’t about to back down from that challenge.

As you can see in the video below, Russ had some blunt words to say about the Rubio performance. “He made some shots, you know, too comfortable. But I’m going to shut that sh** off next game, though. I guarantee that,” Westbrook said.

Those are bold words from someone who completely let the guy he was supposed to check on defense burn him all night while going just 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) for 14 points on the offensive end and logging a game-low plus/minus of -25. Russell would have done well to not underestimate Rubio and play with that determined attitude against him in Game 3, but we’ll see if the bear has been prodded and if he’ll be able to stick to his words for Game 4.

The good news is, even if he does and is able to make life harder for Rubio in Game 4, the Jazz have proven all series and all season that when one man struggles, the rest of the team will be ready to pick up the slack. Game 3 was a perfect example of all of Utah’s starters stepping up, but Rubio was principal among them.

If he has a bad game in Game 4, though, perhaps it will be Derrick Favors that steps up like in Game 2 or perhaps Donovan Mitchell will go off like he did in both games prior. Or maybe someone like Jae Crowder will break out of his slump and be the surprise hero of an upcoming game.

As Quin Snyder made so clear after Utah’s Game 2 win, the strength of this Jazz team is the team, and even if one or two guys are held in check, there’s three or four more that are more than capable of coming out and burning opponents. Because of Utah’s well-balanced attack, they’re extremely difficult to game plan for and stop when they’re clicking on all cylinders.

Next: Utah Jazz: Rubio’s triple-double spells trouble for OKC

However, it’s certainly easy to ride the high of the moment, and Jazz fans (as well as the team itself) need to avoid falling into the trap of supposing the series is over. Game 3 featured an emotional crowd that spurred their team to an emotional win, but this battle is far from over. OKC will likely come out for revenge in Game 4, which figures to be an absolutely thriller.

Rubio was sensational in Game 3. Westbrook has vowed to stop him. The OKC Big 3 has struggled for two straight games while the Jazz finally put together a complete game on Saturday.

With all this adding up, the table is set for Game 4 on Monday night at 8:30 PM MT to be a must-watch affair.