On the eve of Super Bowl 50, the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder will meet for the first time this season, because the NBA, as it turns out, loves you.
This is a marquee matchup, between two marquee teams, with subtly enormous stakes. The Warriors have yet another opportunity to prove they’re head and shoulders above their “most direct” competitors, while the Thunder have a chance to show the race for Western Conference supremacy spans further than Oakland and San Antonio.
Russell Westbrook isn’t thinking about that, though.
From ESPN.com’s Royce Young:
Is Westbrook looking forward to Saturday?
“What’s going on Saturday?” he said.
You play the Warriors.
“Oh, s—,” he said, laughing. He claimed to honestly not be thinking of that.
“Yeah, yeah, I mean it’ll be a good game,” he said, recovering. “Like I’ve said before, I really just take it one day at a time, enjoy this win tonight, go home, enjoy my family and get ready for Saturday when that comes.”
Raise your hand if you buy this.
*Raises hand*
Yup, I buy this, at least on micro scale. Westbrook had just finished notching his eighth triple-double of the season, and his third in a row, when he was asked that question. It’s wholly believable that he wasn’t thinking about the Warriors, or about how important Saturday’s matchup is for the Thunder.
Does that mean he hasn’t thought about it at all, not even once?
Of course not. It’s definitely crossed his mind.
Kevin Durant isn’t the only ringless superstar nearing free agency. Westbrook will hit the open market in 2017, and he knows Durant is speeding toward his own decision. The pressure to win now is vast, and the entire team feels it. You better believe that Westbrook has given Saturday’s tilt some thought—most likely some extensive thought.
He just wasn’t thinking about it then, following a win over the Orlando Magic, after registering yet another triple-double, as he continues his climb up Statistical Everest.
