Four years ago right now the Thunder were fresh off a finals loss, and even though there was disappointment, hope reigned louder for both the team and the city. All of the core players were under 24, three of them were re-signed and the fourth was sure to stay. OKC looked like they were going to rule the West for years to come.

Yet here we are four years later and the team has experienced Murphy's law in about every way it could. First, the Harden trade, a deal that will haunt Sam Presti forever. Then it was Westbrook's knee, then Serge's calf, then KD's foot, which derailed playoff run after playoff run. This team knew it was the best in the league that entire time, yet they had to sit back and watch other teams raise the banners that deserved to hang in Bricktown. 2016 was supposed to be different, it felt different. Through the horrible tragedies the team endured throughout the season with the death of Monty William's wife, the death of owner Aubrey McClendon, and of Dion Waiters' brother, this playoff run had a tinge of destiny to it. Then, just when they could taste the finals, the Warriors went ultra-hot and came back to end our season. It was still all right though, OKC still had two of the top five players in the world, and a talented young supporting cast. It seemed like the Finals were about to become our right of passage again.

And then 'Mr.Unreliable' left...

While the effects of he-who-shall-not-be-named's departure are still being felt and the team is trying to figure out where to go from here, one thing is certain.This is now Westbrook's team. Westbrook has help for sure, but if this team is to go anywhere in the playoffs in 2017, it is going to be on Westbrook's shoulders. Westbrook is one of the most physically imposing guards in the league, but what really separates him from the pack is the heart he plays with. Kobe Bryant described him as "a different animal but the same beast." Westbrook describes his own game as, "Attack... I don't fear anyone or anything on the court." Westbrook is the embodiment of OKC. He is raw, constantly evolving and always growing. He gives everything he has every game. He cares for those around him and he isn't ashamed of who he is. On top of all that he is one helluva basketball player.

And this season is setting up to be his perfect stage.

With Russ now being the lone star in OKC, many questions are being raised as to if he should be traded, with the super team now in Golden State, and with San Antonio and Cleveland still strong as ever, the basketball world has given up on Russ and his thunder buddies. But then again, fifteen years ago there was a super team, the Spurs were still good, and there were many other teams with talent all across the board. Yet in spite of all that, one man put his team (and his city) on his back and carried them to heights no one thought they could reach.

A.I. in 2001 had one of the greatest season any player has ever had in the history of our league. Over 31 points a game, he took a team with no other good offensive players to the Finals, knocking off Ray Allen, Vince Carter and Reggie Miller in the process. Only Shaq and Kobe, two of the league's ten greatest players (who's team was undefeated in the playoffs that year until they faced Iverson) to deny him his championship.

Now that very same opportunity is being handed to Russell Westbrook.

In today's NBA championships have come to mean everything, yet not all titles are viewed equal. Lebron won two in Miami, but his legacy gained no credit until he brought a title back to Cleveland. Shaq hung over Kobe's head until he won the two titles without him. Dirk Nowitzki only won one title, yet will go down as one of the great champions because of how he won, knocking off the Heat who had three of the top 10 players in the league at the time while Dirk was his team's only All-Star.

Today players are running to join other stars, rather than winning on their own. Lebron bolts to Miami, KD goes to GS, free agents running to Cleveland for pennies on the dollar to chase a championship. That seems to be the trend, but we already know Westbrook and trends don't mix. From the GQ covers to the Taylor Swift pregame, Russ blazes his own trail in many ways, yet on the court he is as old fashioned as they come. In the days where analytics and efficiency reign supreme, Westbrook throws all of that out the window. He is a force, he's unrelenting, the last play's outcome having no effect on the next. Much like Allen Iverson, the win is all that matters. They both play with more heart than anyone, and that is what makes them a different breed. They aren't cut from the same cloth.

You can't carry a team to a title being afraid to miss or scared to fail. The lack of fear is what separated the Jordans, Kobes, and Isiah Thomas' of the world from the rest. The abounding courage is what enabled them to put their team on their back the way the majority of great players never can. And I believe Westbrook has what it takes, and he has the opportunity to show it. Just like he said...

"I don't fear anyone or anything on that court."