ATLANTA -- In the midst of a scratch-and-claw road win, Russell Westbrook made history. It was quintessential Westbrook, on the second night of a back to back, muscling away bigger players for defensive rebounds, attacking with fervor in transition to get to the rim and hunting trailing shooters along the wings. When his night was all rallied up against the Atlanta Hawks, he had racked up his 100th career triple-double, just one of four NBA players to ever reach that milestone.
For Westbrook, the key to his ability to produce across the stat sheet, impacting the game in every way on a nightly basis, has less to do with naturally given talent.