What Had Happened Was

What Had Happened Was: 5/25/16

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    Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks against Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in the first half in game four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 24, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
    By Ryan Cortes Rhiannon Walker Kofie Yeboah

    GAME. BLOUSES.

    Are we sure Russell Westbrook should have finished fourth in this year’s MVP voting? Like, how sure?

    The human lightning bolt dropped his fifth career postseason triple-double Tuesday night — 36 points, 11 boards and 11 assists — in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, allowing us to shout at Stephen Curry: Season on the brink! The actual MVP shot 6-for-20, missed nine of his first 10 attempts and, per ESPN Stats & Information, he finished 2-for-7 on uncontested looks, including o-for-5 on uncontested 3-pointers. Absurd. Something is up, but it might not be injury or even rust, necessarily.

    It might just be Kevin Durant.

    Curry — despite getting five wide-open looks from behind the 3-point line — is now shooting 3-for-10 with six turnovers when guarded by Durant during the series. Draymond Green now has a plus/minus the last two games of -73, the worst number over two games for any postseason player in 16 years. And get this: With Durant as the primary defender, Green is 0-for-11 with five turnovers this series. Westbrook deserves all the praise he’s getting for burning down the Warriors’ house and forcing them to flee, desperate for the past. But so does KD. The two men have the Warriors so shook, this actually happened to Klay Thompson after the game:

    Hold on, what’s that? I’ve just been told we have video of Westbrook watching Thompson’s bumbling. Let’s go out live now:

    https://vine.co/v/i9bL2VHTP3X

    SOCIAL STATUS

    Talk about a triple threat. Do y’all see the lineup for the final three locations? Goodness gracious — Jesus be a friendly budget. Yesterday afternoon, the NFL released the upcoming Super Bowl locations for 2017 through 2021. On first glance, four of the five are heavy hitters off bucks.

     

    CAPTION THIS!

    What you got? Tweet your best captions @InstantRHIplay, @KofieSpeaks and @Ryan_Cortes, and we’ll display the top one in tomorrow’s post.

    DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK

    Yesterday, on his 37th birthday, ESPN analyst — and one of the toughest players to beat on the classic video game NBA Ballers — Tracy McGrady decided to throw some shade upon Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal asking for the max.

    This leads to the question: Who would want to see Tracy McGrady back in the league? Better question: Who wouldn’t want to see him back? Here’s the most important reason you should want T-Mac back in your life: He would be a shoo-in for First Team All-NBA Dress Code. Have you seen this outfit?

    If anything he would keep Russell Westbrook on his toes.

    FOR THE CULTURE

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. ……….

    2. Happy birthday!

    3. Y’all gon’ learn today

    #ICYMI

    Our friend Royce Young wrote a tremendous piece for ESPN on Russell Westbrook yesterday that teaches you about a man you thought you knew, but didn’t really. Here are a couple of the 39 facts about Westbrook that will surprise:

    He often listens to Katy Perry and Taylor Swift before games.

    “It’s good s—,” he said. And he always uses standard iPhone earbuds.

    He watched video of all his technicals after last season.

    “I learned in the summertime, once they make a call, they ain’t changing it,” he said. “Took me a while, but I learned it. … I watched film. I watched all my techs and all the dumb s— I was doing, so I decided to tell myself, there’s no need to argue.” He led the league with 17 technicals in 2015-16; he had seven this season, only one of which resulted from a debate with a referee.

    He’s left-handed.

    Westbrook does everything with his left hand — sign autographs, brush his teeth, throw a football — except shoot a basketball.

    PICTURE PERFECT

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    Kofie Yeboah asks for Sweet Tea at every restaurant and recites approximately 2.5 Spongebob lines per hour.

    This Story Tagged: Stephen Curry Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors Oklahoma City Thunder What Had Happened Was … View All Russell Westbrook Tracy McGrady Super Bowl