On Friday night in Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook made history once again. Going into the fourth quarter against the visiting Pistons, he’d already logged a stat line — 14 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds — that assures he’ll average a triple-double for the third straight season.
At this point, he’s made it seem so commonplace that it barely registers anymore, which is a shame given the colossal difficulty of such a feat, but here we are. What ended up being more impressive/horrifying was the flagrant foul he committed against Zaza Pachulia earlier in the contest.
It wasn’t the foul itself that was particularly memorable. It was more about the context with which it was delivered. See, Russell Westbrook apparently has a long memory. And like any good anti-hero, he ascribes to the mantra that revenge is a dish best served cold, which it why it’s so astounding that he waited more than two years to get his payback on Pachulia, just like he said he would.
https://twitter.com/DimeUPROXX/status/1114338490685317120
Like other extremely competitive athletes who have gone before him, Russ apparently never forgets a slight, nor does he believe in any statue of limitations on when it can be paid in turn.
If you weren’t already a little bit afraid of Russ to begin with, this should be more than enough to make anyone else think twice before they decide to cross him.
