The Washington Wizards secured the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference after obliterating the Indiana Pacers in their play-in tournament battle on Thursday. Russell Westbrook was instrumental in the do-or-die victory, tallying 18 points, eight rebounds, and 15 assists.

To many, that would be a fantastic game already. But for the caliber of Westbrook, who gets triple-doubles like they're free food samples at Target, his performance was a little mediocre. He had an almost similar output in their loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists. He only shot 6-of-18 from the field.

Because of this, Wizards coach Scott Brooks revealed he got plenty of text messages from people growing concerned over Westbrook. He quickly defended his star guard and dismissed the surprising queries (via Wizards reporter Ava Wallace).

As Brooks mentioned, and if you're not yet convinced, yes, Westbrook is not a supercharged alien. He also has off-nights. But as his coach also opined, the mercurial guard has been playing at an MVP level for the past few weeks, towing the Wizards to the play-in tournament. Now, he looks to lead them to a deep run in the NBA Playoffs, no matter how the odds are stacked against them.

Westbrook was aggressive all game long against the Pacers, knowing full well that his historic season could end if they lose. He might've not gotten his usual numbers, but all he cares about at this point is one number: 8. That's their seed in the NBA Playoffs, BTW.

Russell Westbrook has always smartly dismissed criticisms against him, and it looks like Scott Brooks has learned from his player as well.