Russell Westbrook with vicious block on Dirk Nowitzki (Video)

By Jack Crosby | Apr 21, 2016

Apr 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a play against the Dallas Mavericks during the third quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Russell Westbrook was not nice to this shot attempt by Dirk Nowitzki on Thursday

While everyone generally pays attention to the offensive end of the court when it comes to Russell Westbrook, it’s pretty easy to forget that he’s a pretty good player on the defensive end of things as well. If you needed a reminder of this, he was more than happy to provide one on Thursday night.

On Thursday, the Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of their series, and in the second quarter of this one right after the period got underway, Dirk Nowitzki thought that he had a pretty clear lane to the basket.

Well, he in fact didn’t, and Westbrook showed him that with authority.

"Russell Westbrook is having a block party! #NBARapidReplay #THUNDERvMAVS https://t.co/p73HaEXXWt— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2016"

Pretty solid effort there by Russ on the defensive side of things there, and that’s the kind of effort that you want to see from one of your star player when it comes to the playoffs. He’s going all out because he wants his team to advance to the next round.

Whether it’s on offense or even on defense, Westbrook is just flat out fun to watch.

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