The Thunder got a solid home win over the Warriors on Friday, in a game where Russell Westbrook finished with a triple-double stat line of 17 points, 15 rebounds and 17 assists.
You wouldn’t have guessed it afterward, however, when Westbrook gave yet another one of his standoffish interviews.
From Anthony Slater of NewsOK.com:That second quarter run, why did that change the game?
Execution. Thought we did a good job of executing.
Down the stretch, you and Serge seemed to be in a really great rhythm. What allowed you to be so successful?
Did a good job of execution.
(Question about their small lineup)
It’s good.
Eight assists in fourth quarter. What did you see from them defensively that allowed that?
We did a good job of executing
(From Berry Tramel) Are you upset with something?
Nah. I just don’t like you.
You don’t?
No.
You don’t like Nick (Gallo, Thunder reporter) either?
I love Nick. I don’t like you.
Well you gave us about the same answers.
Yeah. You got another question?
Played a great game. One of your better ones. Is this one of the better ones you can think of in your career?
Good execution.
Seemed like you played with a sense of urgency tonight. Has that been lacking in the past?
Did a good job of executing tonight.
Career-high 17 assists. How do you feel?
Good job of executing tonight.
Real nice.
Setting aside the part about Westbrook disclosing how he feels about a particular reporter, the act of not answering questions seriously is growing tiresome.
As I mentioned the last time, the reason these guys get paid what they do is because of fan interest in watching them play, and the exposure from the media only helps in bringing the stories (and the players’ personalities) closer to those that spend the dollars consuming the product.
Because of this, I believe players should take the (very small) media obligation portion of their job somewhat seriously.
[Post has been updated from the previous version for accuracy, because players are in fact required by the league to consistently conduct these interviews.]
