Westbrook's defense versus Afflalo's
Arron Afflalo was UCLA's best defender in its back-to-back Final Four appearances, typically guarding another team's best player. Russell Westbrook has been very good defensively, too, and maybe even a bit better because of his quickness. Ben Howland made the comparison when asked how this year's team compared to last year's team.
``We're quicker. We're forcing more turnovers,'' Howland said. ``Arron Afflalo is a great defender, but he didn't have nearly the amount of steals that Russell gives you.''
Westbrook had five steals against Oregon.
Westy has length, quickness, and athleticism that allows him to be even better defensively that AA. AA was all about defensive positioning, saavy, and intensity.