Russell Westbrook might be able to dominate on the court, but give him a list in alpabetical format and it’s a different ballgame.
The NBA is nothing if not the most petty sports league in the world. Players — either knowingly or not — sell the game on a nightly basis not only with dazzling skills on the court but with the drama behind the scenes.
Everything and anything is subject to professional pettiness. Chris Paul calling the Clippers Lou Williams team is succulant pettiness; as is Russell Westbrook misinterpreting an All-Star list.
LeBron James and Steph Curry drafted their All-Star teams on Thursday night, and when the lists were released, players poured over who chose who.
It sounds like Westbrook was told by teammates he was picked last in the All-Star draft on Thursday because his name was at the bottom of the roster list. It never dawned on anyone that lists — at least ones organized and released by a corporation — are usually in alphabetical order.
Once promted, he was quickly corrected.
No one has time to slow down and think logically when your team has won seven of its last ten games. That’s the roll Oklahoma City has been on, and it’s showing no signs of slowing. The Thunder dropkicked Washington on Thursday night to win a sixth game in a row — something that has helped the team bounce back from a tough stretch to start the new year.
A three-game losing streak is never fun, but it has come between winning streaks for the Thunder. Right now they sit just two games behind Minnesota for the Western Conference’s No. 4 seed and look poised to battle the Timberwolves in the playoffs. Drawing a 4-5 matchup in April between the Thunder and Wolves is a joy basketball fans can only dream of — and by then Russ and the crew should have a firm grasp on the way lists work.