Russell Westbrook scored 37 typically electric points during his team’s 138-113 romp over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, earning the regular season scoring title in the process.
Instead of celebrating his achievement, though, the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar downplayed its very existence altogether. Why? Due to the New Orleans Pelicans beating the San Antonio Spurs, Scott Brooks’ team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
Might Westbrook find a silver lining in his individual feat, though? No way. Here’s Russ on the scoring crown via ESPN’s Royce Young:
Shit. It doesn’t mean nothing. Good job. Hooray. I’m at home. Watching other teams play. Doesn’t mean nothing.
Did you really expect him to say anything less?
Surely any player in Westbrook’s position would take the politically correct route here. Basketball is a team sport, after all, and the Thunder fell short of reaching every squad’s realistic goal by missing out on the postseason. That collective failure supersedes any solo act when its realization is still so raw.
But there’s something about Westbrook that makes you really, really believe his defiance, and it stems from the same mentality that allows him to so relentlessly play the game. The 26 year-old will only be satisfied when his team hoists a Larry O’Brien Trophy. Any accomplishment short of the ultimate one just isn’t enough for a maniacal competitor of Westbrook’s nature, an attitude reflected by his win at all costs approach.
Just keep being you, Russ. If fortunes ever break the Thunder’s way, we’re confident you’ll get the opportunity to revel in the smaller triumphs.
