Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is in unstoppable form after he recorded his fourth straight triple-double on Wednesday night.
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All the 26-year-old needs now is a cape to go with his mask that he wore on Wednesday as he put up a career-high 49 points and a casual career-high 16 rebounds in the overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
It is worth just running through his numbers over the last four games just to appreciate the level he is currently playing at which has broken open the door to involve him in the MVP conversation.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers: 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Phoenix Suns: 39 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers: 40 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Philadelphia 76ers: 49 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists.
Westbrook became the first player since Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan in 1989 to have four consecutive triple-doubles, and the first since Jordan to have back-to-back triple-doubles with at least 40 points.
However, there is still some way to go to catch the ‘Greatest of all Time’, as Jordan had seven consecutive triple-doubles and 10 in an 11-game run that year which maintains his position as the best ever in putting up crazy numbers over an extended period of time.
Furthermore, looking at the all-time stats, Wilt Chamberlain had a streak of nine consecutive games with triple-doubles in 1968, while Oscar Robertson messed around and recorded a staggering 181 in regular season games over a career spanning 14 years.
Magic Johnson (138) and Jason Kidd (107) complete the top three, and it is incredible to think how difficult it is to put up those numbers in the modern-day game given that LeBron James only has 36 in total.
Nothing should be taken away from Westbrook’s achievements and given his current form and how the Thunder are relying on him in the absence of the injured Kevin Durant, there is no reason why he can’t continue.
OKC face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night and with no Derrick Rose to guard him, Westbrook will fancy his chances of dominating against the smaller Aaron Brooks and the ageing Kirk Hinrich.
If he successfully manages to get another triple-double on the board, things get much more difficult thereafter with games against the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers as Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul are a completely different proposition.
Regardless, Westbrook deserves a significant amount of respect and recognition for the way he is playing, and while his MVP chances might have been ruled out with his absence in the early part of the season, he is proving that he is an elite point guard to those that may have doubted him.
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