Russell Westbrook upset by hard foul from Shane Battier

Great NBA teams don't tend to get
along. The defending NBA champions
and runners-up are no exception.
While LeBron James and Kevin Durant
draw all the hype, Shane Battier and
Russell Westbrook were the ones who
needed separating during Tuesday's
Miami Heat-Oklahoma City Thunder
game. The play came early in the fourth
quarter, when Westbrook picked up a
steal and raced down the court for a
layup.
Sensing Heat defenders Battier and
Dwyane Wade were trailing him,
Westbrook moved toward the middle of
the court for his layup, drawing a hard
foul. Battier initially was whistled for a
flagrant foul, but on review, the referees
determined it was a blocking foul.
The call was a good one, as Westbrook
clearly moved to force Battier into his
body. But that didn't keep the Thunder
point guard from taking exception.
Westbrook continued to show his
discontentment after the game, which
the Heat won 103-97. Westbrook had 21
points and 11 rebounds.
The teams then went at each other
briefly. But these are not the Boston
Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, so they
calmed down. There's a lot at stake in
these kinds of games, after all.