Russell Westbrook had already decided to go all out, and he believed he was fully capable of doing it.
At the start of the season, the Thunder had suffered a crushing 96-122 loss against the Warriors. In that game, Westbrook's 26.7% shooting percentage had been downright ugly.
It could be said that, in this glorious season where he averaged a triple-double, that had been Westbrook's worst and most unwilling loss.
Ever since then, Westbrook had been desperate for another chance to prove himself. He refused to simply let Durant trample over him.
Unfortunately, the next game between the Thunder and Warriors would not come until next year.
Westbrook could not wait that long, so he could only take his frustration out on the Grizzlies first.
Neither team's starting lineup had changed. The Thunder still sent out Westbrook, Roberson, Anthony Morrow, Sabonis Jr., and Adams as their starting five.
The only player in that lineup who truly possessed self-created offense was Westbrook. How could he possibly not score a lot?
The Thunder's starting lineup had originally included Oladipo, someone who could score, but since he and Westbrook simply could not play together, head coach Billy Donovan had sent him to the bench.
Little did anyone expect that after staggering his minutes from Westbrook's, Oladipo's play had shown some signs of revival.
The facts proved that you really should not pair Westbrook with another ball-dominant scorer. Just let him attack by himself until he was satisfied. If he was having fun attacking, the Thunder had a high chance of winning too.
After the referee tossed the ball up, the wild-looking Adams was the first to secure possession.
The instant Westbrook received the ball, he accelerated into an attack, looking to raid the basket.
Everyone knew that the "Turtle's" physical gifts were explosive.