Wednesday Bolts – 3.30.16

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com: “Russ was ranked No. 6 only two weeks ago, but with his

incredible run of triple-doubles — which, more important, led to improved play for the Thunder — Westbrook simply can’t be denied. His seven triple-doubles in March tied Michael Jordan’s NBA mark for most in a month, and his 16 this season are one shy of matching Magic Johnson’s record for the most in the last 30 years. All that at 6 feet 3. Better yet, the streaking Thunder — winners of eight straight — are 16-0 when he goes 3D.”

Anthony Slater: “Rather famously, Jackson and the Thunder went through a sour break-up last season. He wanted a starting role, to be the star of a team, and that was something OKC couldn’t offer. For months, Jackson was vocal about it both inside and outside the locker room, creating a growing divide within a frustrated team. He’d write ‘SPG’ on his shoes, for starting point guard, even with Westbrook on his team.”

So about the “two guys that flew from Germany.” I talked with them last night for a fun little story and that’s not exactly the case. They drove four hours, yes, but didn’t fly in from Germany. One of them just happened to be German.

Shea Serrano in his newsletter explores if Russ is really an alien: “Obviously. Also: I love the idea of referring to Russell Westbrook from now on as THE LIVING WEAPON, in part because it’s just a cool thing to say, but also because it reminds me of a low grade martial arts movie from 1991 called A Perfect Weapon, which is about a man who takes down the Korean mafia with his fists and feet. And, incidentally, just to piggyback off that a bit, I feel like out of all the players in the NBA, Russell Westbrook would probably have the best chance at taking down a crime family by himself. After him, it’s probably Z-Bo. After Z-Bo, it’s probably Nick Collison. And after Nick, it’s probably Kirk Hinrich. Those four guys should be in charge of the NBA’s Mafia Task Force, and if you’re saying, “Why on Earth do we need an NBA Mafia Task Force,” then I’d like to remind you of the time noted mafia member and crooked referee Tim Donaghy nearly brought the league to its knees in 2007, and the time Rasheed Wallace tried to take them down all by himself and failed.”

Here’s my story on the Jackson-Westbrook thing.

Piston Powered: “This kind of thing from Westbrook and Kevin Durant isn’t anything new. Jackson’s attitude late in his time with the Thunder was well-documented and it was obvious that he needed a change of scenery when the Pistons acquired the then-disgruntled Jackson last season. It’s a little ironic that those, really, harmless antics irked him — one of the more emotional, eccentric guys in the NBA — but there’s an easy solution here for Westbrook and Oklahoma City. Win the game.”