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After a torrid stretch of seven straight triple-doubles came to an end with Sunday night's 99-96 victory over the Boston Celtics, point guard Russell Westbrook is happy as can be with yet another win in his pocket.
Westbrook led his Oklahoma City Thunder with a monstrous 37-point, 12-rebound, six-assist performance that left him four assists shy from his own place in history as the undisputed second-longest triple-double streak of all-time, after the legendary Wilt Chamberlain.
If you ask the Long Beach native, he could care less about personal accolades.
“Honestly, I'm just happy we won tonight, man, that's the most important thing,” Westbrook told ESPN's Royce Young reflecting on the streak. “Me as a player, I always try to look forward. Maybe at the end of the season I can talk about it, but as of right now, my job is to move forward.”
The Thunder are 15-9 and have won seven of their last eight games thanks to their all-around point guard's heroics on the court.
Article Continues Below“I always take the same mindset every night. It doesn't change anything I do,” Westbrook said. “I always come out and compete at a high level every night, streak or no streak. A winning streak is more important to me, and tonight we got a win.”
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Westbrook's triple-doubles, which sit at 12 for the season, have been the clearest sign of a player doing the most he can for his team. Despite being the likely MVP frontrunner at the moment, he isn't interested in that accolade either. His unlimited motor has propelled an otherwise inefficient team into one that can be in the conversation for the West's best by season's end, which is all Westbrook really cares about.
The five-time All-Star is averaging a dominant 31.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 11.0 assists for the season, making his case for an MVP season a very strong one if the Thunder can become part of the Western Conference upper echelon.
