Russell Westbrook Making History
To Aristotle, ‘perfection’ meant ‘completion’, nothing to add or subtract. It meant that the ultimate good consisted in the full attainment of an individual’s natural functioning.
When Russell Westbrook stepped onto the court on March 22 for his pre-game ritual, perfection was not a word in his mind; it wasn’t even an idea. He was, like every other night, focused on winning, on being the best player the Thunder needed him to be. When the buzzer sounded at game’s end and Russ’s stat line read 6 for 6 from the field, 6 for 6 from the free throw line, 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists, it still wasn’t in his mind. For him, perfection is as nebulous and irrelevant as an All-Star snub in early February. For Russ, there is always room to improve, always room to better himself as a player no matter what’s happening around him.
Still, this was history if anyone in the NBA had ever witnessed it. This was, for all intents and purposes, a night of perfection, nothing to be added, nothing to be subtracted. Russ recorded his 35th triple-double of the season. And the Thunder blasted the 76ers, 122-97. For Russ, it was just another day at the office.
“Just play, honestly,” Westbrook said of his efficient night in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 122-97 win. “Just trying to take my time. [I] watched some film and just trying to pick my spots better. Find ways to get my teammates involved throughout the game. Just happy to win.”
If anything, this performance against the Sixers was simply special. It was the first game of Westbrook’s career that he was perfect from the field; the first time in 83 games that he didn’t attempt a 3-pointer. Not to mention, his six shot attempts also tied a career low in games in which he played more than 20 minutes.
This is a guy who’s been called all sorts of names–selfish, ball hog, reckless, angry, vengeful.
“That’s always the perception,” Westbrook said in an interview with ESPN’s Tim Keown. “That I don’t have control and that I’m mad. I don’t know why people say that — ‘He looks angry, he looks mad.’ No. I’m focused. I’m locked in on what’s important, and the extraterrestrial stuff doesn’t matter.”
On this Wednesday night against the Sixers, there was no sign of lacking control, no sign of reckless aggression. If anything it was the opposite; it was man playing with an otherwordly sense of patience and control; a man in the full attainment of his natural functioning: a basketball player who has, from his earliest days in high school, strove to be the best player he could be. This game was different than any other game he’d ever played in his life. This game, he demonstrated to every single person watching, everyone who saw the highlights, who read the articles, exactly how much he’s evolved as a player.
All it took was Kevin Durant leaving for Golden State. Since then, Westbrook has willed Oklahoma City to a playoff berth. Rather than devolving into the stereotype he’s been saddled with throughout his nine-year career, Number Zero has churned out the most efficient, most eye-popping season in modern NBA history. On Thursday, Tracy McGrady said Westbrook’s season may be the best individual performance of all time. Scottie Pippen (who keep in mind played alongside the unanimous G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan) took McGrady’s comment a step further saying Russ’s season is the “greatest he’s ever seen.” Scottie Pippen’s ex-wife is Larsa Pippen whom also made a name for herself in the reality TV world.
These statements came on the heels of maybe the best game of Russ’s career, which itself came only a week after his perfect performance against Philly. Trailing the Orlando Magic by 21 points in the third-quarter, the Thunder mounted their largest comeback since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City, with Westbrook forcing overtime with a wild, fading 31-foot 3 with seven seconds left. In overtime, he scored or assisted on every point the Thunder scored. He finished with an NBA record 57 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. This was the most points in a triple-double in league history, as he surpassed his own 50-point trip-dub from earlier in the year. Before this season, the last player to score 50 in a triple-double was Kareem Abdul-Jabar in 1975. 42 years later, Westbrook is transforming our conception of greatness with his ridiculous play. And the best part is, he’s staying humble through the whole thing.
“[It’s] definitely a blessing,” Westbrook told reporters of his historic night in Orlando. “I definitely don’t take this game for granted, and I try to come out each night and try to compete at a high level. That is definitely something that is a blessing and definitely something that I can be proud of.”
And that’s the attitude of the league’s incontestable MVP: pride, gratitude, humility, and most of all joy. You may not see it when his face is contorted into a scowl after he’s just thrown down a monster duck in the lane. You may not see it when he’s just taken a three and darted into the paint to catch his own rebound. Or when that same three goes in and he turns and sprints back down court. But it’s there. The joy is there. And it is that kind of energy that has embedded Westbrook into the annals of basketball history. He’s just a force that can’t be reckoned with.
Russell Westbrook’s 57 points sent him past James Harden and Wilt Chamberlain, who each had 53, for most points in a triple-double. Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports
“There’s nothing else you can do,” Magic center Nikola Vucevic said. “He had like 50, 15 and 15. He’s a hell of a player, and he’s been doing it for 70 games now, carrying that team every night. I think the numbers he’s putting up are amazing. You just tip your hat when he does stuff like that, and even in overtime, he made a lot of big shots, and before, in the fourth quarter, he made a couple of big 3s. He’s a big-time player.”
His game against the Magic marked his 38th triple-double of the year. That puts him three away from tying Oscar Robertson’s record for most triple-doubles in a season. And the best part is, the Thunder have eight games remaining before the playoffs.
Does Russ plan on losing any steam before the year’s end? The answer is a resounding no. It’s not even a thought in his mind.
“I don’t ever think about ever getting tired,” Westbrook said after the game against Orlando. “I just go out and keep going … keep going. I am very, very thankful and blessed to have that energy and constantly keep moving and playing. I don’t take it for granted.”
What would Aristotle say of perfection if he got to see Westbrook play this year? He’d probably say perfection is the mark of an individual committed to fulfilling their passion. He’d probably say there’s nothing to add or subtract from Russ’s game; that he is by all means a perfect player. You have to wonder if there’s anything more Westbrook can do to prove himself this year. Whether or not the Thunder excel in the playoffs almost seems irrelevant at this point. But to Russ, it’s not. You know it’s not. He’s going to put his mind to winning every single night, doing exactly what he’s done all year long. Why? Because it’s who he is. Sometimes sports fans have the fortune of watching history unfold as a chip upon the shoulder of a player. Fans got to see it in Jim Brown and his bulldozing running style. They got to see it in Michael Jordan and his sheer desire to win. They get to see it in Tom Brady who continues to improve even as he pushes 40. And now they’re getting to see it in Westbrook. And while maybe there was once a chip weighing on Russ’s shoulder as he played in the shadow of Kevin Durant, all there is now is focus; a man dedicated to pursuing at the highest level the thing he love the most.
“You have to understand something about Russell,” says College of Idaho coach Scott Garson, a former assistant at UCLA. “If Russell wasn’t getting paid however many millions he’s getting paid, he’d still be playing basketball.”
And that’s the truth of the matter–that Russell Westbrook is committed to the game of basketball because it’s who he is. It’s what he was born to do. And now, at the age of 28, having shed the criticisms and doubts of so many coaches, scouts, trainers, players, pundits, and fans along the way, he’s demonstrating what it means to fulfill one’s fate, to fully attain the potential of his natural functioning, to be perfect whether he’s thinking about it or not.
