"Scott Brooks gambled, and he won.

Both a game and his locker room.

Brooks benched his second-best player who sometimes acts like he's his best. Brooks benched Russell Westbrook, going with Kevin Durant and four backups through the fourth quarter.

That's how Brooks changed more than a series.

Before Thursday, the coaching matchup in these Western Conference finals was between smart yet faceless men who had been fringe players. Replacing Phil Jackson, who began his coaching career with the minor-league Albany Patroons, Brooks and Rick Carlisle played for the Patroons.

They shared a few stories from their time together then, and Brooks playfully offered this critique of Carlisle: "Low-character jerk."

Brooks also remembered another story. Carlisle had played for the Celtics before ending up in Albany, and he'd become friends with Larry Bird. Once Bird telephoned Carlisle and told him to bring a few teammates from Albany to Boston to spend the day watching a game.

Carlisle invited Brooks, and Brooks declined. He didn't want to miss a workout.

He says he regrets that now, but the work-first attitude paid off. Brooks made a career for himself, and along the way he won a ring with the Rockets.

It's mostly forgotten now: He was the closer during the 1993-94 championship season at point guard before a rookie named Sam Cassell emerged.

But Brooks knew he wasn't much. Earlier this series, when writers asked him if he was a lot like J.J. Barea, Brooks shook his head.

"Nah," Brooks said, "I was never that good."

So if many of his qualities have been evident, no one was sure of the side he showed Thursday. Then, he coached more the way Gregg Popovich has, when Brooks has usually been steady with a young team.

He's also been protective of Westbrook. When there have questions about how Westbrook and Durant play together, Brooks has denied there is an issue.

This time Brooks took a risk few coaches take. Westbrook, his other All-Star, never saw a second on the court in the fourth quarter."