Long before the twists and turns and brushes with basketball mortality, before this journey pitted Russell Westbrook against his home, this Los Angeles story began with a few simple words.

One key Denver Nuggets veteran made a massive Russell Westbrook statement regarding the club's head coaching change.

On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets are playing the LA Clippers (at home) for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. Russell Westbrook is playing in his 1