It was a January game last season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder led the Miami Heat by 23 points midway through the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook, positioned where many superstar players would be near the end of blowout, was sitting on the bench.

There was one problem: Westbrook was three rebounds short of a triple-double.

To many watchers' surprise, Westbrook popped up and walked over to check back in. He quickly grabbed his three boards, and with the Thunder up 22, they took a timeout and Westbrook sat back down, a 24th career triple-double in hand.

In was obvious what had happened, and it wasn't the first time Westbrook had apparently worked for the statistical trinity. A year before, he was on a triple-double roll, but went to the bench with two minutes left in the game, one rebound shy of a triple-double.

"Tip? he said. "Tip?"

From the bench, he was lobbying the official scorekeeper for an offensive rebound, and after reviewing a replay during a timeout, the scorekeeper obliged, giving him the triple-double before the buzzer sounded. Westbrook denied politicking for it after the game.

This season, Westbrook is recording triple-doubles at a historic pace, notching 11 such feats in 22 games, maintaining a current streak of six, and averaging 31 points, 10.9 rebounds and 11.3 assists per game.

No politicking or late-game stat-stuffing needed.

As is usually the case when anything fun or cool starts happening, skeptics emerge, ready to rain on the history parade. For some, whether it's by comparisons or discounting the validity of the numbers, Westbrook's near-nightly showcase inspires more questions than admiration.

Is he stat-padding? Chasing rebounds? Hunting assists?

Westbrook cares about winning first and foremost, but there's no doubt he pays attention to the triple-doubles. Why wouldn't he? It's an impressive achievement, and one to be proud of. Ricky Davis and Andray Blatche embarrassed themselves just trying to notch one. Westbrook racks them up at will, piling up the stats almost like he can't help it.

When he does, the Thunder win. In Westbrook's 48 career triple-doubles, the Thunder are 42-6. In his 11 this season, they're 9-2. The two losses were a two-point loss to the Orlando Magic on a buzzer-beater and an overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers.

When Russell Westbrook grabs a defensive rebound, it's off to the races. Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

There's also this: Via Nylon Calculus, there's evidence to suggest the Thunder's best offense comes from a Westbrook defensive rebound.

When Westbrook hauls in a rebound, the Thunder's pace cranks up, and the team shoots a higher effective field goal percentage (55.3 percent) than when he doesn't grab the board (50.3). One of the Thunder's primary struggles this season is in the half court, but they remain lethal in transition. The Thunder's best path to transition is getting the ball in Westbrook's hands as quickly as possible.

So Westbrook just cuts out the middle man, sometimes at the expense of his big men. But they're in on the take.

Against the Hawks on Monday, Westbrook undercut Steven Adams for a rebound, with Adams literally pulling his hands back as Westbrook snared it.

"No one cares. We'd rather it be him [getting the rebound]," Adams said. "I like it because I can actually box out my dude. It's good that he actually gets to come in and take it. I don't mind it."

Both Adams and Enes Kanter have joked about needing to box out Westbrook because he's taking their rebounds. Those are big man stats, and Westbrook, a 6-foot-3 point guard, currently resides first on the team in boards, and ninth overall in the league. The Thunder bigs jab Westbrook about taking their rebounds in the film room, recently noting one where he ripped the ball right out of Joffrey Lauvergne's hands.

"As long as our team gets a rebound, it doesn't matter," Adams said. "There's just some funny ones that we kind of mock him about."

"It would be different if he was out hunting these statistics. There's a lot of guys that do that. But he's really not. He's really just playing the game."

Westbrook rebounding isn't some new development, though. Last season, he was only 2.2 rebounds per game away from averaging a triple-double. He has always ranked among the best in the league from the guard position, but this season, he has taken a statistical leap.

"What makes him a great rebounder," Billy Donovan said, "besides the strength and athleticism, he is great at following the flight of the ball. He understands where it's going to go and he gets his speed and quickness and athleticism off the floor and into the game because he knows where the ball is going to go."

Westbrook's instincts are particularly spectacular. Like this play and this play. He flows to the rebound, and the Thunder are instantly on the attack.

"It makes everything faster," Andre Roberson said of Westbrook rebounding.

Then there's the fact, as Donovan points out, that opposing guards don't try to rebound against the Thunder much because they fear Westbrook in transition. So that gives him free rein to attack the glass.

"If that was becoming a trend where guards were offensive rebounding against us, we'd pay more attention to that," Donovan said. "I think because of the player he is in transition, more teams are sending back three [players]."

There's concern about Westbrook's ability to sustain this level of play throughout the season. He's running a monopoly on the Thunder's offense, on pace for the all-time high in usage rate (40.2 percent) while also leading the league in assist rate (54.5).

It's an astonishing offensive responsibility, on top of everything else. But Donovan is unconcerned. The Westbrook way since his rookie year is to play every game, regardless of opponent, at the highest level of energy possible.

"I don't see him playing any differently than the way he played last year," Donovan said. "Except he's better."

Then there's this: Westbrook's season is a welcome respite and distraction from the events of the summer that saw the franchise turned upside down with the departure of Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder aren't as good as they were, but Westbrook is still providing every reason to watch. They're as must-see as they've ever been.

Westbrook's individual achievement has spilled over to team success, with his teammates feeding off the triple-double run. It has given the Thunder an identity as they rally around their new solitary leader, and Westbrook's nightly commitment is showcased by the numbers he puts up.

"You want to always appreciate it and not take it for granted," Nick Collison said. "It is pretty special. And it would be different if he was out hunting these statistics. Guys can do that. There's a lot of guys that do that. But he's really not. He's really just playing the game. And that's what's best about it."