NBA players have special routines they go through prior to games. The most notorious might be Stephen Curry’s shot from the tunnel in Oakland. But almost every single player does something that’s original to him.
For Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, his preparation is akin to a dance party with teammates.
Dallas Mavericks forward Charlie Villanueva didn’t take too kind to this in the lead up to Game 2 matchup between these two teams on Monday:
Westbrook’s response was to push Villanueva and another member of the Mavericks out of the way.
We get that Dallas might be frustrated after dropping the first game of the series by 38 points, but that’s no excuse to violate someone’s personal space and pregame routine. In this, Westbrook had every right to be upset.
It will be interesting to see if this scuffle has any impact on whether tempers flare up during the game itself Monday evening.