Russell Westbrook is saving the NBA regular season for us all
On Wednesday night, Russell Westbrook came one rebound short of breaking Oscar Robertson's record for most triple-doubles in a season, while LeBron James and the Cavaliers reclaimed the top spot in the East after a dominating 23-point win against the Celtics.
Yet, for all the drama, not everyone was excited to be there. The night prior to the game against Boston, LeBron brushed off questions about its importance.
"I've been to six straight Finals, man,” LeBron said. "I'm the last person to ask about a regular-season game."
It’s a perfect example of one of the NBA’s greatest struggles. The regular season has begun to come under criticism as players miss games to rest, teams tank in the hopes of a better draft pick, and the sport’s biggest and best player is straight up telling the world he doesn’t get caught up in the regular season.
If LeBron doesn’t care about the regular season, why should fans?
The answer: Russell Westbrook.
Where LeBron and others are content to rest and save themselves for games they feel are more important, Westbrook has gone a different way.
Westbrook has played with intensity every single night and rewarded fans with a season we’ve never seen before. The Thunder will probably not win a title this year, but fans will remember this Oklahoma City team because of the effort Westbrook put forth for every one of these 82 games. Players like Westbrook make the regular season spectacular.
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And look, LeBron, I get it. When he was in Miami, I only cared about the postseason. “No regular season championships” was my motto. I also recognized that only Heat fans felt that way about LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The rest of the NBA and fans in other cities didn’t want to hear that.
Fans want to see their favorite players as invested in games as they are, regardless of the perceived importance. It's that commitment that has won Russell Westbrook so many fans – and likely MVP votes – this season.
