NEW YORK — Russell Westbrook emptied the water bottle over Paul George’s head before beelining for the Thunder locker room, eager to join an already raucous celebration. It was Oklahoma City 114, Brooklyn 112 on Wednesday and Westbrook—who handed out the assist for George’s game winning bucket and made a key deflection in the closing seconds to force the Nets into a desperation heave—was ready to join the fun.
There is a side of Westbrook the public sees, the fearless scorer, the relentless competitor, the walking triple double. That Westbrook is a seven-time All-Star with an MVP and a couple of scoring titles in his pocket.