Monday Bolts – 12.5.16

Erik Horne: “With the clock trickling into the final minute Sunday, Russell Westbrook

dribbled with one hand and put his other hand out, motioning for calm. As he drifted to his right and pulled up for the dagger 3-pointer with 51 seconds left, the crowd at Chesapeake Energy Arena erupted and the Thunder’s fifth-consecutive win, 101-92 over New Orleans, was complete. So was another Westbrook triple-double: 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. Westbrook became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to record five consecutive triple-doubles. Jordan had seven in a row that season. Westbrook, who approaches history nightly now, continues to close in on more.”

Tim Reynolds of the AP: “Most NBA players have never done it even once. Michael Jordan did it six times. Kobe Bryant, three times. Jason Kidd, twice. Here’s the “it” in question: Have a game of 31 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Perhaps that puts what Russell Westbrook is doing into some perspective. Through 21 games this season, such an outing represents an AVERAGE night for the Thunder guard — who’s putting up 31 points, 10.8 rebounds and 11.3 assists so far, with five triple-doubles in his last five games.”

Russ keeps it going.

Eric Freeman of BDL: “Russell Westbrook’s pursuit of a triple-double average over the 2016-17 season is now a big enough story that it’s not crazy to cover it on a daily basis. With 10 triple-doubles in this season’s 20 games prior to Sunday’s contest against the New Orleans Pelicans, Westbrook’s early-season achievements are not just hopeful indicators of a feat that has been achieved just one other time in the history of the NBA. At this point, it would almost be surprising if he didn’t keep up the pace.”

Pretty eye-opening.

Fred Katz: “Russell Westbrook’s numbers are nothing compared to his greatest accomplishment: He’s desensitized us all to the triple-double. A long, long time ago, the triple-double used to mean something. Meshing together 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists was so rare that only the greatest could do it. And when they did, it was immediate news. That long, long time ago was October of 2016. In less than two months, Westbrook has turned basketball’s most celebrated statistical accomplishment into a line for peasants.”

Russ has been so good NPR is even talking about him.

Ananth Pandian of CBSSports.com: “When he was introducing Russell Westbrook at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Michael Jordan spoke highly and said he was a fan of the Thunder All-Star guard. Well, after Westbrook’s latest achievement, which draws parallels to Jordan, his Airness might be an even bigger fan. Recording 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, Westbrook notched his fifth consecutive and 10th triple-double of the season in the Thunder’s 101-92 victory against the Pelicans on Sunday. Westbrook is the first player to record five consecutive triple-doubles since Jordan did it in 1989. Over his five-game triple-double streak, Westbrook is averaging 28.4 points, 14.6 rebounds and 13.8 assists.”