Once Russell Westbrook let it be known he was not pleased with critics accusing him of stat-stuffing, his teammate Carmelo Anthony among them, there was no way the Oklahoma City Thunder guard was not going to get 16 rebounds on Wednesday night.
That’s the tally he needed to secure his second straight season with an average of a triple double. It doesn’t take more than a glance at his halftime box score to see how singularly focused he was. Westbrook tallied 11 rebounds, 12 assists and one point on two field goal attempts.
He secured his 16th rebound at the 9:18 mark of the third quarter. Entering the game, he was averaging 25.6 points, 10.1 assists and 9.9 rebounds.
It happened a bit quietly this time. I guess with him doing it last year, it didn't garner the same attention or excitement this time around. Of course, Westbrook himself takes it seriously, to the point he's not happy about teammates ribbing him about stat-padding.
“A lot people make jokes about, you know, stat padding or going to get rebounds,” Westbrook told reporters. “If people could get 20 rebounds every night, they would. If people could get 15 rebounds, they would. People that’s talking or saying whatever they need to say, they should try doing it and see how hard it is.”
He then appeared to hone in directly on Anthony’s comments about stealing rebounds.
“Everybody wants to be talking, I’m tired of hearing the same old rebound this, stealing rebounds, all this [expletive],” Westbrook said. “I take pride in what I do. I come out and play, and I get the ball faster than somebody else gets to it. That’s what it is. If you don’t want it, I’m gonna get it. Simple as that.”
You can't put a price on that chemistry.