Matt Steinmetz

There’s certainly been a backlash to Russell Westbrook, and the year he’s having. We’re now past the halfway point of the NBA season and one major theme has been Westbrook’s pursuit of averaging a triple-double and just how remarkable that is.

From that pursuit and the attention it has received another view has absolutely come into the fold, though: What Westbrook is doing isn’t that exceptional because he’s, in essence, a ball hog and involved in virtually every Oklahoma City play.

Comical. Trying to take anything away from Westbrook and this historic season, to me, is ridiculous. The guy has been phenomenal, maybe even the best player in the NBA right now, though James Harden can certainly make a case.

The last time anyone in the NBA averaged a triple-double was back in 1961-62, when Oscar Robertson averaged  30.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game for the Cincinnati Royals. For a long time that feat was considered untouchable by NBA observers. I was a huge Larry Bird fan, but he never even flirted with averaging that as his high for assists in a season was 7.5 per game. Michael Jordan never came close, nor Kobe Bryant, nor Tim Duncan, etc., etc., etc.

Continue reading →

Had a chance to talk to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr on Thursday — right after the team’s practice in Memphis. The Warriors are 44-8, but two of those losses have come against the Grizzlies, whom they play on Friday night.

The Warriors then go to Oklahoma City for Kevin Durant’s return — an environment that is sure to be emotional. Then comes the finale of the three-game trip, the Nuggets in Denver on Monday.

Kerr talked about the trip and contended that this might be the toughest three-game stretch of the season — “given the circumstances.” The circumstances are being without two of their big players: Zaza Pachulia and David West.

Link to interview with Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Here were other topics Kerr addressed:

–Kerr was ejected in Saturday’s overtime loss to the Kings, and it was an epic tirade. You didn’t need to be a lip-reader to know he said some bad words. Kerr tells that his mother wasn’t not very happy with her son’s behavior — and what Kerr’s mom said about his temper tantrum.

Continue reading →

A .500 team from the Eastern Conference came into Oracle on Wednesday night — without their two best players. What do you think happened? If you guessed that we’d be talking about a Warriors’ blowout, then you’re right on the money.

The Warriors weren’t at their most impressive against the Chicago Bulls, but it was plenty good enough for an easy win — 123-92. The win was expected after all, with Golden State coming in with 137 regular-season wins without suffering consecutive losses … And the Warriors were coming off a loss to Sacramento on Saturday.

They didn’t have to be at their absolute best because Chicago was playing without Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade. They also lost Paul Zipser, who started at forward, to an ankle injury early in the game.

Link to “Warriors WrapUp,” the postgame show on 95.7-FM The Game. Continue reading →