Monday Bolts – 3.9.15
You know Westbrook had a good night when he inspires Shoals to write about him: “We may just be watching a player on a hot streak for the ages but it’s just as likely that Russell Westbrook Unleashed—the proposition that intrigued us so much when he started the season without Kevin Durant—has finally come to fruition. This, my friends, is what Russ is capable of. This is awe. And Westbrook has kept it up long enough that it’s impossible to exclude him from the MVP conversation. His story may not be a traditional one. But in a season where nothing is going according to plan, it might be exactly what voters are looking for.”
Bill Oram of the O.C. Register: “Indeed, Westbrook is the closest thing basketball has to Marshawn Lynch, the Seattle Seahawks star who goes by Beast Mode. With a sneer and a shrug, he destroys those who manage to get in front of him – defenders and inquisitive reporters alike. So let’s talk about toughness, and its value in an NBA overcrowded with players who seem to focus more on the appearance of their sneakers than what they do once they put them on.”
The thing I wrote for ESPN.com last night.
Andrew Gilman of Fox Sports Southwest: “OKC has to have Westbrook performing this way, so five of his triple-doubles have come with Durant out. Six in his career have come in three quarters of work. The Durant situation is a tenuous one. Who knows when he’ll come back from injury? A week, has turned into two. He’s had a pair of surgeries and played just 27 games. Of course, Durant’s name and legacy will forever be linked with Oklahoma City and its ascension, not only in the NBA but as an American city. But try and say Westbrook isn’t the most-compelling storyline going, larger than life in OKC and dripping with more drama than any NBA plot. So big, even Durant’s upcoming free agency isn’t near the needle-mover it once was.”
Bradford Doolittle of ESPN Insider: “The Thunder have been so successful with their two-star system, that it only seems natural that with one guy out, the other would rev up the production, which would naturally result in the numbers Westbrook has been putting up. However, Oklahoma City has become as deep as it has ever been during the Westbrook-Durant era. And if you look closely at the recent results, the Thunder’s improved second unit has had as much to do with their success as Westbrook’s explosion.”
Berry Tramel: “Excellent passing. With the game in the balance, on back-to-back possessions, Westbrook fed Serge Ibaka for an open 19-footer that made it 100-94, then found Enes Kanter for a layup and an eight-point lead. Then Westbrook followed those possessions with consecutive nifty feeds to Kanter and Ibaka that drew fouls and gave the Thunder more precious points. Literally 15 minutes ago lots of people thought Westbrook was a ballhog. Now he’s matched or set a career high in assists three times in six weeks and has reached double-digit assists eight of his last nine games. All the while overtaking James Harden for the NBA scoring lead, a stretch in which he has recorded triple doubles in five of his last six games.”
Alex Abrines went down with a knee injury yesterday. It’s unknown how serious it is, but it’s pretty disappointing because he is well thought of in the Thunder organization.
Al Ianazzone of Newsday: “He can be maddening with his shot selection — and his volume of shots — and needs to be reined in at times. But most teams wish they had a player like Westbrook. Durant should think long and hard about whether it would be wise to leave him.”
