After
two failed attempts of surpassing the single-season record for triple-doubles
of Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star lead guard
Russell Westbrook had a third chance at making history on Sunday afternoon.
Westbrook not only set a new NBA record that stood for 55 seasons, he also
rallied his team to an improbable win and broke the heart of the team in their
own gym.
His
buzzer beating three-pointer from close to the left side of half court with
02.9 seconds left in the game not only gave the Thunder (46-34) a 106-105 win
at the Denver Nuggets (38-42), it eliminated the Nuggets from playoff
contention and capped a historic afternoon, where Westbrook scored 50, points,
grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. He was 17 for 32 from the field,
5 for 12 from three-point range and 11 for 11 from the free throw line.
Westbrook
not only garnered his 42nd triple-double, just one more than what
the “Big O” had for the then Cincinnati Royals in 1961-62, he collected his
third career 50-point triple-double, all this season, a new NBA record and one
more than his former teammate and fellow MVP candidate James Harden of the
Houston Rockets, whose has garnered those two triple-doubles of that nature
this season as well.
This
was also Westbrook’s 79th triple-double of his career, which broke a
tie with the late great Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlin for fourth on the
all-time triple-double list in NBA history.
Only
Mr. Robertson (181), Hall of Famer and five-time NBA champion with the Los
Angeles Lakers in the 1980s Earvin “Magic” Johnson and current Milwaukee Bucks
head coach Jason Kidd (107) have garnered more triple-doubles in their career
than Westbrook.
Earlier
this season, Westbrook passed Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who had 59 career
triple-doubles in his 13-year career and right behind him is LeBron James, who
posted 13 of his 55-career triple-doubles this season.
To
put that into perspective, Mr. Robertson and the late Hall of Famer Wilt
Chamberlin have two 50-point triple-doubles, but they had just those respective
two for their entire career.
The
record setting triple-double was sealed when reserve guard Semaj Christon hit a
corner three-pointer, his only field goal on the afternoon from the right
corner with 4:17 remaining in the game that pulled the Thunder within ten
points at 101-91., which was followed by a standing ovation by the 19,155 in
attendance at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO.
Those
same fans were silenced after watching one of the leading candidates for league
MVP score the Thunder’s final 15 points, which was capped by the prior
mentioned game-winning triple following a pass from Kyle Singler, off an
inbounds pass from Steven Adams that rung the right through the rim and the net
as time expired.
“Pure
adrenaline, emotions running high, game-winning shot, it is something you dream
about as a little kid to be able to do that on the road, especially from that
distance,” Westbrook, who collected his 17th triple-double on the
road this season, a new NBA record said after the game. “It is something you
definitely will never forget.
Westbrook
after the game-winning basket jumped to the sky and waived his fist in the air
and then was mobbed by his teammates.
“Just
blessed man. I’m just so thankful to play the game that I love every night or
this afternoon,” Westbrook said to FOX Sports Oklahoma’s Lesley McCaslin after
the win. “Give special thanks to the man above. Many blessings with talent to
come out and compete.”
A
lot people in the NBA circle thought that this was one record that could not be
broken and if it was going to be eclipsed that it would take a special talent
who had a drive to play at the kind of level that Mr. Robertson did back in the
1961-62 NBA campaign. Westbrook showed flashes throughout his career that he
had the kind of ability that he has shown throughout this season and he not
only broke the record, he earned a lot of respect along the way from current
players and coaches as well as former players and coaches.
“I
know there’s nights, as much as he’s got, he’s got to show up and maybe feel
like he doesn’t have it,” ESPN NBA color analyst and former NBA head coach Doug
Collins said to The Oklahoman last
week. “But he finds a way to do it. That’s what I said about Michael Jordan
when I coached Michael. I saw games where I said, ‘Where’s the energy going to
come from? The thought of performing and doing it, he always found a way.’”
Mr.
Robertson said to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols in an interview last week that Russell
Westbrook is “a great athlete.”
“The
kid is outstanding to be honest. He’s really outstanding. I think he’s done a
lot for basketball this year.”
FOX
Sports’ Oklahoma pregame and postgame studio analyst Antonio Daniels said of
Westbrook’s performance after the game, “You want to congratulate him because
the fact of the matter is he just rewrote history and we all were blessed to
get an opportunity to see this.”
“Like
I said weeks ago, and I will reiterate it again today. Don’t talk to me. If you
see me in the street don’t talk to me about the MVP. If you hear me on the
radio, don’t talk to me about the MVP I don’t want to hear it. It’s over.”
The
one constant that has been displayed by Westbrook during this magical run of
triple-doubles is his constant appreciation and respect for his teammates,
parents, and fans who did thank after the win on Sunday.
“It’s
amazing. I never could dream about as a kid. I’m just very thankful and blessed
to be able to go out and compete at the highest level. Just thankful for my
teammates, my coaching staff, my fans, my family. Just thank God for my
blessings each and every day,” Westbrook said to McClasin.
The
other constant is that the Thunder have been victorious in the time that
Westbrook has garnered double-figures in points, rebounds, and assists.
Yesterday
marked the 33rd win in 42 chances by the Thunder when Westbrook gets
a triple-double and it also marked the 66th victory in 79 games in
which Westbrook has garnered a triple-double in his eight-year career, all with
the Thunder.
To
put this into perspective, after missing a triple-double by two assists in the
Thunder’s 120-99 defeat at the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, Westbrook after a
poor shooting performance where he was just 6 for 25 from the floor, including
2 for 12 from three-point range, he went up to the Suns’ practice facility and
got some shooting work in.
That
worked paid off on Sunday in Denver and helped the Thunder win their 46 game on
the season and is a big reason the Thunder will be in the playoffs, when many
thought after Durant left this off-season they would not even come close to
making.
A
lot of people thought that breaking the single-season triple-double record was
difficult to eclipse, but not Westbrook. However, this season was not about
that. It was about him proving he can lead the Thunder back to the postseason,
made a strong case on why he should be the 2016-17 MVP, and he took that
challenge head on and thanks to a rookie guard out of Xavier, who made the
three-point shot that sparked the 18-4 run to end the game and made NBA history.
“My
moto is why not? And I always stick by it. Regardless of what people say or
what is possible. What’s not possible, I continue to think, ‘Why not?’ And continue
to strive to be the best I can be,” Westbrook said to McCaslin.
Information,
statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 4/2/17 12:30 p.m. edition of ESPN’s
NBA Countdown on ABC, presented by Straight Talk Wireless with Michelle Beadle,
Jalen Rose, and Rachel Nichols; 4/5/17 2 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime,”
with Casey Stern, Greg Anthony and Chris Webber; 4/9/17 5 p.m. contest Oklahoma
City Thunder versus Denver Nuggets on FOX Sports Oklahoma with Brian Davis,
Michael Cage and Lesley McCaslin; 4/9/17, 7:30 p.m. edition of Thunder Live
Postgame Show with Lesley McCaslin, Brian Davis, Michael Cage, Erin Hartigan
and Antonio Daniels; www.nba.com; www.nba.com/games/20170409/OKCDEN#/recap/boxscore;
www.espn.com/nba/game?gameid=400900576 and www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3468/russell-westbrook.
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