If you watched the Thunder surge in the 2nd half to defeat the Lakers relatively easily, you were treated to something both normal and quite extraordinary. Which kind of defines the Russell Westbrook experience. As I was watching, I couldn’t help but notice how completely normal it felt to watch Russ post 10 assists after the first quarter, but as the 4th quarter wound down, I wondered to what degree he had planned it all along.
And perhaps that’s the most impressive/crazy thing about it. Westbrook, perhaps more than any other player, could set in his mind that he’d record a 20-20-20 to honor his fallen friend Nipsey Hussle, and then had the ability and drive to go out and do that very thing.