Allgemeines » Westbrook is still providing every reason

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Abdul-Malik Abu scored 25 points, and North Carolina State pulled away in the second half to beat Montana 85-72 Friday in the opening day of the Paradise Jam tournament.Dennis Smith Jr. added 21 points and Torin Dorn had 16 for the Wolfpack (3-0), who didnt overcome a pesky Grizzlies team until midway through the second half.Montana (0-3) had battled with N.C. State, even leading 40-38 at the half in a game that had 10 ties and 14 lead changes. But the final lead change went the Wolfpacks way, thanks to a 12-2 run that put N.C. State in command.We had to dig down in the second half, N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said. Defensively, we were a lot better in the second half. From the 15-16 minute mark down, we really defended really well.The Wolfpack went on to lead by as many as 16 points, going up 77-61 with 2:31 remaining on Terry Hendersons 3-pointer.Walter Wright had 22 points, Ahmaad Rorie 15 and Sayeed Pridgett 12 for the Grizzlies.We tried to do a little too much, Montana coach Travis DeCuire said. We were playing well together on both sides of the ball, but they hit a stretch where they started hitting some tough shots. We let some guys get going.BIG PICTUREMontana: The Grizzlies are off to their worst start in coach Travis DeCuires three seasons. Under DeCuire, Montana has gone 20-13 and 21-12.N.C. State: Finally has a win over a team from the Big Sky -- the only one of the 31 Division conferences the Wolfpack did not have a victory against. N.C. State was 0-1 against the conference all time, having lost to Weber State 94-80 in the 1993 Great Alaska Shootout.UP NEXTMontana: Plays the loser of Friday nights Washington State-No. 22 Creighton game on Saturday.N.C. State: Faces the Washington State-Creighton winner in the semifinals on Sunday. Adidas Deerupt Kengät . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Adidas NMD R1 Ale . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. http://www.nmdhalvalla.com/adidas-nmd-r2-halvalla.html . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Adidas Kengät Suomi . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Adidas NMD Cs2 Suomi . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. It was a January game last season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder led the Miami Heat by 23 points midway through the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook, positioned where many superstar players would be near the end of blowout, was sitting on the bench.There was one problem: Westbrook was three rebounds short of a triple-double.To many watchers surprise, Westbrook popped up and walked over to check back in. He quickly grabbed his three boards, and with the Thunder up 22, they took a timeout and Westbrook sat back down, a 24th career triple-double in hand.In was obvious what had happened, and it wasnt the first time Westbrook had apparently worked for the statistical trinity. A year before, he was on a triple-double roll, but went to the bench with two minutes left in the game, one rebound shy of a triple-double.Tip? he said. Tip?From the bench, he was lobbying the official scorekeeper for an offensive rebound, and after reviewing a replay during a timeout, the scorekeeper obliged, giving him the triple-double before the buzzer sounded. Westbrook denied politicking for it after the game.This season, Westbrook is recording triple-doubles at a historic pace, notching 11 such feats in 22 games, maintaining a current streak of six, and averaging 31 points, 10.9 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game.No politicking or late-game stat-stuffing needed.As is usually the case when anything fun or cool starts happening, skeptics emerge, ready to rain on the history parade. For some, whether its by comparisons or discounting the validity of the numbers, Westbrooks near-nightly showcase inspires more questions than admiration.Is he stat-padding? Chasing rebounds? Hunting assists?Westbrook cares about winning first and foremost, but theres no doubt he pays attention to the triple-doubles. Why wouldnt he? Its an impressive achievement, and one to be proud of. Ricky Davis and Andray Blatche embarrassed themselves just trying to notch one. Westbrook racks them up at will, piling up the stats almost like he cant help it.When he does, the Thunder win. In Westbrooks 48 career triple-doubles, the Thunder are 42-6. In his 11 this season, theyre 9-2. The two losses were a two-point loss to the Orlando Magic on a buzzer-beater and an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers.Theres also this: Via Nylon Calculus, theres evidence to suggest the Thunders best offense comes from a Westbrook defensive rebound.When Westbrook hauls in a rebound, the Thunders pace cranks up, and the team shoots a higher effective field goal percentage (55.3 percent) than when he doesnt grab the board (50.3). One of the Thunders primary struggles this season is in the half court, but they remain lethal in transition. The Thunders best path to transition is getting the ball in Westbrooks hands as quickly as possible.So Westbrook just cuts out the middle man, sometimes at the expense of his big men. But theyre in on the take.Against the Hawks on Monday, Westbrook undercut Steven Adams for a rebound, with Adams literally pulling his hands back as Westbrook snared it.No one cares. Wed rather it be him [getting the rebound], Adams said. I like it because I can actually box out my dude. Its good that he actually gets to come in and take it. I dont mind it.Both Adams and Enes Kanter have joked about needing to box out Westbrook because hess taking their rebounds.dddddddddddd Those are big man stats, and Westbrook, a 6-foot-3 point guard, currently resides first on the team in boards, and ninth overall in the league. The Thunder bigs jab Westbrook about taking their rebounds in the film room, recently noting one where he ripped the ball right out of Joffrey Lauvergnes hands.As long as our team gets a rebound, it doesnt matter, Adams said. Theres just some funny ones that we kind of mock him about.Westbrook rebounding isnt some new development, though. Last season, he was only 2.2 rebounds per game away from averaging a triple-double. He has always ranked among the best in the league from the guard position, but this season, he has taken a statistical leap.What makes him a great rebounder, Billy Donovan said, besides the strength and athleticism, he is great at following the flight of the ball. He understands where its going to go and he gets his speed and quickness and athleticism off the floor and into the game because he knows where the ball is going to go.Westbrooks instincts are particularly spectacular. Like this play and this play. He flows to the rebound, and the Thunder are instantly on the attack.It makes everything faster, Andre Roberson said of Westbrook rebounding.Then theres the fact, as Donovan points out, that opposing guards dont try to rebound against the Thunder much because they fear Westbrook in transition. So that gives him free rein to attack the glass.If that was becoming a trend where guards were offensive rebounding against us, wed pay more attention to that, Donovan said. I think because of the player he is in transition, more teams are sending back three [players].Theres concern about Westbrooks ability to sustain this level of play throughout the season. Hes running a monopoly on the Thunders offense, on pace for the all-time high in usage rate (40.2 percent) while also leading the league in assist rate (54.5).Its an astonishing offensive responsibility, on top of everything else. But Donovan is unconcerned. The Westbrook way since his rookie year is to play every game, regardless of opponent, at the highest level of energy possible.I dont see him playing any differently than the way he played last year, Donovan said. Except hes better.Then theres this: Westbrooks season is a welcome respite and distraction from the events of the summer that saw the franchise turned upside down with the departure of Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder arent as good as they were, but Westbrook is still providing every reason to watch. Theyre as must-see as theyve ever been.Westbrooks individual achievement has spilled over to team success, with his teammates feeding off the triple-double run. It has given the Thunder an identity as they rally around their new solitary leader, and Westbrooks nightly commitment is showcased by the numbers he puts up.You want to always appreciate it and not take it for granted, Nick Collison said. It is pretty special. And it would be different if he was out hunting these statistics. Guys can do that. Theres a lot of guys that do that. But hes really not. Hes really just playing the game. And thats whats best about it. ' ' '