I’m all about superstitions in sports. I know I have little routines I like to go through on ‘game days’ to get myself psyched up for the game and focused.
But in team sports, where communication and chemistry amongst the members of a team is super important, you rarely hear about a an athlete giving his teammates the silent treatment on game day as part of a superstition, so to speak. However that is exactly what Russell Westbrook did for the morning shoot around yesterday:
“He told me earlier today not to talk to him when we got to the gym,” Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said. “He wasn’t talking to nobody because he said he had his mind focused on his game.”
The tactic certainly worked. Perhaps Westbrook won’t say a word at any future shoot around sessions this season.
Perkins smiled and chuckled at the thought. “Right,” Perkins said. “That’s straight up.”
Well the tactic definitely worked, as Westbrook who was coming off a bit of a cold spell in previous games, caught fire last night against the Grizzlies. Westbrook was 12-20 from the floor on route to a 30 point night, consisting mostly of slashes to the hoop. With only two turnovers in the contest, Russell also led the team in the +/- category with a +11 on the evening.
Maybe Westbrook should stop talking to his team all season?
[Quotes via NewsOK.com]
