Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was elated when Kyrie Irving beat Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors on Christmas.
Think the feud between Westbrook and Durant is over? Yeah, right. Westbrook might be forgotten by some folks nationally because he’s on a small-market team without real championship hopes, but he remains one of the top five players in the game.
Speaking of top players, Westbrook enjoyed watching the Christmas Day game between the Warriors and defending-champion Cleveland Cavaliers. With the Cavaliers down by one point in the final seconds, guard Kyrie Irving rose up and hit a jumper, scoring the eventual game-winning points. As you can see in the video below, Westbrook was pretty happy with his old buddy taking the loss on the chin.
First try! Russell Westbrook warms up on Christmas Day. RT to #NBAVote for Russ for #AllStar. pic.twitter.com/5bqpbzkaQX
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 25, 2016
Frankly, who can blame Westbrook for this reaction? He was one game away from toppling a 73-win team last year, only to watch Durant bolt and join said monster. If Westbrook’s response was anything but elation, there would be something wrong with his competitive spirit.
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The Thunder will also be playing on Christmas, taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Oklahoma City will continue to challenge for its division crown, and perhaps get a shot against the Warriors sometime this spring.