A classic Oklahoma City Thunder moment is making the rounds again. A clip posted to r/nba shows Russell Westbrook draining a deep three-pointer after Steven Adams intentionally clanked a free throw, grabbed the rebound, and kicked the ball out — a designed late-game set the two ran together during the 2017 playoffs against the Houston Rockets.
The play dates to April 23, 2017 — Game 4 of the first-round series between the Thunder and Rockets. Down four with 21.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Adams stepped to the line knowing a made free throw wouldn’t cut the deficit fast enough. He rimmed it on purpose, fought for his own board, and found Westbrook spotted up well beyond the arc. The ball went in. Chesapeake Energy Arena erupted.
Deadspin covered the sequence at the time, noting that offensive rebounds off intentionally flubbed free throws rarely work but that Adams and Westbrook “pulled it off and made the most of it.” A YouTube upload titled “Adams and Westbrook Plan Intentional Missed Free Throw | April 23, 2017” includes footage of the two discussing the scheme beforehand and breaking it down in a post-game interview.
The clip has resurfaced multiple times since — SportsCenter shared it as a throwback in June 2020, and ESPN NBA’s X account posted it the same month. The latest circulation comes via a Streamable link on r/nba, where it drew positive reactions for the chemistry and audacity of the call.
What makes the play work is the same thing that makes a good onside kick work — you’re betting on chaos, and you’ve rehearsed the chaos. Adams, all 7-foot-1 and 265 pounds of him, had to miss the rim by just enough to keep the ball in play but not so much that it caromed out of reach. Then he had to out-leap everyone in the paint for the board. That’s not luck. That’s a big man who knows exactly where the ball is going before it leaves his hand.
Westbrook’s part is no less impressive. He’s standing near the logo — not the three-point line, the actual logo — and he has to be ready the instant Adams secures the rebound. No hesitation, no extra dribble. Catch and release from 30-plus feet. In a four-point game with the season on life support, that’s the kind of nerve you can’t coach. You either have it or you don’t, and Westbrook has never lacked for it.
The Thunder lost that series to the Rockets in five games, which tempers the highlight’s significance. A brilliant play in a losing effort is still a losing effort. But the sequence endures because it’s one of those rare moments where preparation, trust between teammates, and sheer audacity converge in a single possession. The film doesn’t lie.
Sources:
- Streamable — Highlight clip (r/nba)
- Deadspin — “Steven Adams And Russell Westbrook Smoothly Turned A Missed Free Throw…”
- YouTube — “Adams and Westbrook Plan Intentional Missed Free Throw | April 23, 2017”
- SportsCenter (Facebook) — Throwback post, June 2020
- ESPN NBA (X) — Throwback post