IT WAS ARGUABLY the worst game of Russell Westbrook's career.
It was March 16, and the Oklahoma City Thunder had just lost by 22 to a Golden State Warriors team playing without Kevin Durant. Westbrook drudged through a 7-point performance -- 2-of-16 shooting and 0-of-7 from 3 -- which also featured his 16th technical foul that led to an automatic one-game suspension.
The Thunder were in the early stages of their post-All-Star slide and the Warriors game felt important. The storyline from the game was less, though, about the Thunder's ugly loss and more about Westbrook's pending suspension.