Why don’t Russell Westbrook and Marc Gasol seem to like each other? Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but over the last few years, the Thunder guard and the Grizzlies center have gotten tangled up on the court on several occasions, and while they've never actually exchanged punches, they have come awfully close.
There was the time back in November 2012 when Gasol bopped Westbrook on the head with a ball and almost set him off:
Then, there was the time back in March 2013 when play had to be halted during a Thunder/Grizzlies game because Westbrook and Gasol got into it:
And during the Thunder/Grizzlies game on Thursday night—er, the Grizzlies/Thunder preseason game—Westbrook and Gasol had to be separated once again after exchanging words and shoves and picking up technical fouls:
So what gives? Do these two really not like each other, or do they just keep running into each other—sometimes literally running into each other—at the wrong time? Well, in this latest instance, Westbrook said there’s a very simple explanation:
"He hit me, I hit him back," Westbrook said. "I don’t play that. I get hit, I hit back."
Seems simple enough. But what’s with the weird history of hostility between these two, and when is it finally going to boil over?
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