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To say Russell Westbrook brings a high level of intensity to the basketball court is one of the biggest understatements — yet somehow he manages to bring just a little bit of extra juice for important matchups, injecting his already full tilt approach too the game and packing an extra boost of adrenaline.
In the most recent case, Westbrook’s adrenaline was fueled by a matchup against his former mate Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors — his first chance to level the playing field after his Oklahoma City Thunder were swept in four encounters last season.
The 6-foot-3 dynamo went nose-to-nose with Durant in the third quarter of the game as tempers flared, making it the perfect question to address at the end of a 108-91 win over the Warriors.
“Competing, I’ma go out there and compete every night, ” Westbrook told ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth of his attitude when facing Durant and the Warriors. “I’m coming at your neck every single night and I just let him know that.”
Westbrook’s demon-like pace has been known to go both ways — sometimes resulting in Hall-of-Fame-worthy performances, and other times in reckless nights where he loses perception of his blinders as the game gets away.
Wednesday night was one where the reigning MVP clicked on all cylinders, coming a point shy of his sixth triple-double of the season after breaking the all-time mark of 42 last season, posting a game-high 34 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and four steals.