That's exactly what I needed to hear following that game. You hear enough analysts discuss a player's grudge against his former teammate like it's a quickly fleeting moment of conflict in a romantic comedy and you start to get tricked into thinking that they might be on to something. That's why it couldn't possibly have been more refreshing to be reminded that Russell Westbrook isn't Ross, Kevin Durant isn't Rachel, and there's no 'happily ever after' moment in their near future. I get why some commentators who aren't paid to promote pettiness might say otherwise, but this is a "relationship" that's so fractured that it would be harder to piece back together than a group of high school girls whose friendship imploded over a mutual love interest. Russell Westbrook's animosity towards the "bitch ass" (his words, my thoughts) who promptly bounced to enemy lines without so much as a phone call just weeks after blowing a 3-1 lead clearly isn't going anywhere, and the viewing audience is absolutely better off because of it. I don't care if the Warriors beat the Thunder the next 37 times they play them and not a single one of those games is within single digits in the 4th quarter, because watching the man who is undoubtedly going to end up on the wrong side of most of those match-ups try to harbor his hatred will always be must watch television. The NBA has become just as nauseatingly cliquey as it has talented, and Russell Westbrook appears to be one of the few guys whose spitefulness won't let his hard feelings soften with time. I'm not sure how productive that will be in enhancing his chances of ever winning a championship, but I'll be damned if his bad blood isn't one of the best things going in sports AND entertainment. Here's to hoping Zaza Pachulia becomes a minor speed bump in the next clash of the titans...
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