NEWS » I dont feel great about it. -- Bradford Do

OKLAHOMA CITY -- There were few indications before August that Russell Westbrook would be so willing to be the hero downtrodden Thunder fans needed.For years, the sometimes combustible Westbrook toiled in Kevin Durants shadow. He often was viewed as the talented, selfish player who was as likely to get in Durants way as he was to make a winning play. His flashy style seemed at odds with small-market Oklahoma City so when Durant, who seemingly was a better fit in OKC, left for rival Golden State, fear that Westbrook would bolt for a larger market increased.He didnt. He chose to re-sign with the Thunder and now that he has answered the call, its time to deliver.We know a few things about Russell at this point, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. Hes going to bring his lunch pail every day. Hes going to compete. Hes going to inspire. Hes going to show great conviction and courage to his teammates, to the city, to the organization. And from there, we have to figure out how that comes together.That trek begins Wednesday in Philadelphia when Oklahoma City officially tips off the post-Durant era in its season opener against the 76ers.Westbrook is now the unquestioned leader of the Thunder and player folks behind the scenes knew -- the thoughtful, humble, giving man -- has more readily come to the surface. He has gone to great lengths to connect with Thunder fans in recent months.Among other things, he unveiled his new line of True Religion clothing near downtown Oklahoma City and he attended an Oklahoma home football game against Louisiana-Monroe wearing a custom-made Sooners jersey. When he was introduced to the crowd before the Thunders preseason home opener, he got the kinds of cheers normally reserved for a return from injury.Westbrook seems more at ease on the court, too. His preseason play seemed more effortless than electric, with an occasional flourish.I want the team to play how they want to play, Westbrook said. I mean, its not totally up to me how we play. You have to adjust to the team you have and adjust on a night-in, night-out basis on how you want to play. You want to play fast some nights and you want to play slow. I think it depends on the game, on the situation, who is on the floor.He is poised to put up astronomical numbers this season as he tries to keep the Thunder among the NBA elite.Last season Westbrook averaged 23.5 points and career highs of 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds. He posted 18 triple-doubles, the most for a player since Magic Johnson had 18 during the 1981-82 season. The two-time All-Star MVP and former scoring champion could do more damage without Durant, but the Thunder dont want too much pressure on him.I think we have to be able to play in a way thats not just relying on him to do everything and create every single shot, whether its him making the shot or making the play for another guy, Thunder forward Nick Collison said.Westbrook already has left an impression on his new backcourt mate Victor Oladipo, who was acquired in the trade that sent defensive enforcer Serge Ibaka to Orlando.After working with Russ, I can see the intensity in how serious he was about his craft, Oladipo said. But one thing that I realized that after guarding him for three years -- I can see why hes so effective at what he does. I definitely stole that from him, and Im going to take it and run as fast as I can with it.How Oladipo and the rest of the Thunder do in keeping up with Russell will determine how much success the team will have. Oklahoma City is no longer considered the team to beat in championship conversations, and thats fine with Westbrook. He said the team embraces the underdog role.I love it, he said. I love it, man. I think its a great challenge, not just for myself, but for our whole team. I think just from talking to the guys throughout the summer, they understand that. They want to win. They want to get better.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP . Discount Nike Free Ireland Shoes . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. Discount Nike Free Ireland .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.nikefreecheapireland.com/ . PAUL, Minn. Wholesale Shoes Ireland . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. Nike Free Ireland For Sale . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Go inside the numbers and matchups that will decide the showdown Wednesday night between the Cubs and Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, and then vote for which team will win at the bottom of the page.What we learned in Game 3Rich Hill threw six shutout innings, Jake Arrieta didnt, and now the Cubs date with destiny appears a little less certain than it did after Miguel Montero hit that home run way back in Game 1. The Cubs have played 100 postseason games in their history and this was the first time theyve been shut out in back-to-back games. -- David SchoenfieldInside the pitching matchupWhen John Lackey is on the mound: The veteran righty is making his 22st career postseason start, tied with Whitey Ford for sixth most all time. In his Game 4 start against the Giants in the division series, Lackey struggled with his control, throwing only 39 percent of his pitches in the strike zone, his second-lowest rate in any game this season. He lasted only four innings and 74 pitches, giving up seven hits and three runs.Lackeys stuff remains as good as ever even though he turns 38 in a few days, as he recorded a career-high strikeout rate of 24.1 percent. He comes at batters with a four-seam fastball, slider, curve and occasional changeup. The fastball sits 91-92 that he moves around all quadrants of the strike zone. The slider sits 82-84 with a late break that dives off the outside corner to righties. Thats certainly his go-to wipeout pitch, especially to righties, who hit .122 with a 37 percent strikeout rate against it. Of course, the Dodgers will stack the lineup with lefty swingers, so well see more curveballs and changeups and fewer sliders (although lefties hit just .133 against the slider). --?SchoenfieldWhen Julio Urias is on the mound: The rookie lefty becomes the youngest pitcher to ever start a postseason game at 20 years, 68 days, surpassing Bret Saberhagen, who was 20 years, 175 days when he started for the Royals in the 1984 ALCS.Given his age, the Dodgers monitored his workload carefully, maxing out at 100 pitches in a June start. In his three September starts, he had pitch counts of 89, 78 and 58. Dave Roberts said pitch counts wont be an issue in this game. I think that weve kind of monitored his usage throughout the regular season, but I think right now for me, its not necessarily the pitch count, Roberts said. A lot of it is the stressful innings, too. Its going to be a big game. So if hes throwing the baseball the way we expect, then Im not afraid to push him to help us win a baseball game.Urias, who posted a 2.73 ERA over his final 69 innings, throws an easy 92-93 mph fastball that generated a swing-and-miss rate of 24 percent. He works middle-away to up in the zone to right-handed batters, coming inside (inner third) about 30 percent of the time. He gave up only one home run off his fastball in 202 plate appearances ending with the pitch, so there seems to be some deception here in the delivery. He was known for a great changeup coming up in the minors, but he also throws a slider and curveball. Batters hit .174 against his changeup, but he actually threw his curve a little more often even though batters hit .375/.382/.594 against it. Hell use the slider to come inside to right-handed batters.Given the repertoire, confidence and calmness on thhe mound, everyone thinks hes a future No.dddddddddddd 1 given refinement and health. -- SchoenfieldPlayer in the spotlightAnthony Rizzo. Or pick the Cubs hitter of your choice. Rizzo got his second hit of the postseason, but it was a broken-bat dribbler off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning of a 6-0 game. The Cubs are hitting .152 against left-handers in the playoffs -- granted, theyve faced Madison Bumgarner, Clayton Kershaw and Hill, maybe the three best lefties in the league -- but .152 is .152. Wheres the offense? -- SchoenfieldDid you know ...According to Elias Sports Bureau, the matchup between Lackey and Urías will be the fifth-largest age gap between opposing starters during a postseason game (17 years, 294 days).It trails matchups between:Jamie Moyer and Ubaldo Jimenez -- Oct. 6, 2007 (21 years, 65 days)Jamie Moyer and Matt Garza -- Oct. 25, 2008 (21 years, 8 days)Dennis Martinez and Bob Wolcott -- Oct. 10, 1995 (19 years, 117 days)Phil Niekro and John Stuper -- Oct. 9, 1982 (18 years, 38 days)--?ESPN Stats & InfoWhat will decide the game Wednesday nightThe Dodgers have a home run in eight straight postseason games, one of five teams with a streak that long in a single postseason in history. If Lackey wants to keep them from continuing that streak, hell have to stay on the outer third of the plate, a target location he has been attacking all season.Lackey pitch location, 2016 regular season:-- Outer third or away, 51.3 percent-- Inner third or inside, 26.2 percent-- Middle third, 22.4 percentThe Dodgers hit 36 home runs and slugged .328 against pitches away, and they hit 66 home runs and slugged .420 against pitches inside. ?--?ESPN Stats & InfoChoosing sides: Who will win??Hes 20, a lefty, Mexican, starting in the playoffs -- I mean, isnt the rise of Urias like Fernandomania all over again? Dont know if he throws a scroogie or breathes through his eyelids like the lizards of the Galápagos Islands, but hes really good. Still, Urias hasnt thrown much lately and command can be an issue. The Cubs flailing offense cant press, but it needs to give Lackey some support. I suspect the bullpens will loom large in this one. It has been a long time since the Cubs dropped three straight so Im taking them. But I dont feel great about it. -- Bradford DoolittleIt cant continue like this at the plate for the Cubs, can it? Theyve seen Urias twice, which is bound to help them, while Lackey was brought in for games just like these. Somehow, someway the Cubs will prevail and tie the series. -- Jesse Rogers?Hardly anybody predicted it would happen this way, but the Dodgers will carry their momentum to a 3-1 NLCS lead with a victory in Game 4. Two dominating starts by left-handers allowed the Dodgers rally for a series lead after losing Game 1. And guess what? The Dodgers have another lefty on tap in Urias, who might be only 20 years old but had the maturity to put together a 2.73 ERA over his final 69? innings of the season.?-- Doug PadillaWhere the series standsThe unknown is what looms ahead in Game 5. We know Jon Lester will go for the Cubs. But who starts for the Dodgers, Kershaw or Kenta Maeda? That decision might rest on what happens in Game 4. -- Schoenfield ' ' '