In Sunday night’s thrilling Denver Nuggets win over Westbrook’s Thunder, on two different occasions Russell made a point to goaltend what looked like accurate half-court shots from Nuggets mascot “Rocky.” Rocky has long regarded been as one of the NBA’s best and someone that isn’t afraid to ham it up with NBA players. During timeouts of Nuggets games, the mascot lines up for a half-court shot he’s made hundreds of times, and if that night adds to his rate of success, the fans in attendance get a free queso creation from a local taco chain.
Following his first “block,” fans took to booing Westbrook mercilessly in the final minutes of the contest, adding another layer (possibly queso-based, with some sort of bean dip or pico de gallo involved) of excitement to what was already a fantastic game. And then, in an improvised move made because referees were reviewing an out of bounds call (this wasn’t a TV timeout or break in the action called by a team), Rocky thought quickly, grabbed a ball, and tried again.
And Westbrook, leaving the OKC huddle, blocked the shot at the rim again and chucked it into the stands. He then jawed with some fans on mid-court before playing (not great, getting lost on a screen and roll) defense on the next Nuggets possession.
