Russell Westbrook Dunks on Enes Kanter in the Most Westbrook-ian Play Ever
The anatomy of a Russell Westbrook highlight is a fascinating and terrifying thing.
It begins with a gamble—a risky decision made way too quickly and with zero co-signers. It's maximum effort flung viciously at a window of opportunity the size of the mail slot. There's an implied arrogance that anyone would attempt it in the first place.
But this is the cornerstone of a uniquely play: that it is a bad idea unless you are Westbrook.
With this in mind, fans may have witnessed the most "Westbrook" play to date during Sunday's 109-97 win against the Phoenix Suns. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard rose over Enes Kanter in the second quarter and put his teammate on a poster with an alley-oop in transition.
The played featured all the markings of an instant Westbrook classic: aggression, tunnel vision and otherworldly athleticism. Toss in enough g-force to wrench a shoulder from its socket, and you'll see why 99 percent of NBA players would not try to outjump their own center in full sprint.
For Westbrook, however, it's not a choice. He lives in that space, and anyone looking to enter that rarefied air while he's flying over the paint is getting bodied.
Even better, ESPN's Royce Young reports Westbrook ragged on Kanter in the locker room after beating him out for the dunk.
I know you're still adjusting to Oklahoma City, Enes, but you should know by now—if you rise with Russ, friend or foe, you're taking your life in your hands.
While missed triples early in the shot clock and 40-point nights on 30 shots are also prime examples of madness, there isn't a sequence I can think of more patently Russ than hijacking a play, dunking all over a teammate and talking smack in the aftermath.
That's peak Westbrook.
Dan is on Twitter. Russ might have to dunk a contested triple to beat this one.
