Something horrible happened to Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook on Thursday… he snapped his triple-double streak. Westbrook was only able to get 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 43 POINTS! Though Westbrook is having no trouble scoring, he was not able to capitalize on his recent success as the Thunder fell to the Chicago Bulls 108-105. Still, do not cry for Westbrook, as he is still having a MVP season.
February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) dunks the ball during the second quarter of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game against the Eastern Conference at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
We all knew that he was good, but a few weekends ago he proved that he is currently one of the elite basketball players in the NBA. At the 2015 NBA All-Star Game in Brooklyn, the former Bruin had come of the bench for the West All-Stars and dominated.
It did not take long to make his presence felt as it took him only 11-minutes in the first half of the All-Star Game to score a bruising 27 points. He finished the game with 41, just one point short of the record held by Wilt Chamberlain. His performance in that game caused him to overwhelmingly be selected as MVP.
But if you think his prowess was effective against All-Stars, then he would defintitely chop up the rest of the Association with his skills.
Just over a week after his All-Star performance, Westbrook embarked on something that had not been done since Michael Jordan‘s playing days.
UCLA Bruins
On Tuesday, February 4, Russell Westbrook got his first of four straight triple-doubles. In the game against the Indiana Pacers, Westbrook collected 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Two days later at Phoenix, he had 39 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. The next night at Portland, 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Unfortunately he left that game with an injury as he sustained a fracture in his cheekbone. That caused him to sit the next game out against the Los Angeles Lakers, yet it was the only game he was away.
This past Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, Westbrook returned wearing a mask (superhero?) to protect the cheek he had surgery on just days before. In that game he completed a feat that had not occurred since Michael Jordan did it back in 1989… he captured his fourth straight triple-double.
In front of his home crowd, Russell Westbrook showed that a little crack in his skull could not slow him down as he posted 49 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. This dunk showed what kind of night he had…
This Westbrook coast-to-coast dunk Vine is now the gold standard for coast-to-coast dunk Vines. https://t.co/duvNdWhk5R
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 5, 2015
Westbrook going coast-to-coast as he cut through the entire 76ers team to end with a monster dunk… that pretty much sums up his season, except you can substitute the 76ers for the entire NBA.
Though he saw his streak snapped against Chicago, in his last five games where he averaged 38.2 ppg, Westbrook has now moved into first place in scoring with 27.4.
February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Western Conference guard Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder (0) wins the MVP trophy after the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. The West defeated the East 163-158. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Needless to say, Westbrook is having an All-Star season… and it is not over. The Thunder have 20 games remaining as they resume their schedule on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. Though it seems a guarantee for Westbrook to improve on his epic triple-double streak en route to a scoring title, things might be shifting to a more team-oriented mind frame as Oklahoma City are currently 8th in the Western Conference, with the New Orleans Pelicans just one game behind.
If Westbrook can lead his team into the playoffs whilst continuing to put up big numbers, then there is no doubt he should be the MVP. That is a Bruin for you!
Go Westbrook!