Watch: Mavericks try interrupting Russell Westbrook’s pregame dance

The Mavericks’ Charlie Villanueva and Justin Anderson tried interrupting Russell Westbrook’s pregame dance routine. 
Watch: Mavericks try interrupting Russell Westbrook’s pregame dance
Watch: Mavericks try interrupting Russell Westbrook’s pregame dance /

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The Dallas Mavericks lost handily to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, so it appears the Mavs are trying a new strategy for Monday night’s Game 2: Get under Russell Westbrook’s skin.

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Mavericks forwards Charlie Villanueva and Justin Anderson took on the bold task of trying to irk Westbrook by not-so-nonchalantly interrupting Westbrook’s pregame dance routine with Cameron Payne. Westbrook has been doing the dances with Payne for much of the season, so it was not exactly a surprise to Dallas what was about to happen. 

Villenueva and Anderson casually roamed in between Payne and Westbrook, and were quite literally shoved aside by Russ.

I mean, of all the people you’d least want to anger before an NBA playoff game, you’d think it would be the man capable of posting a triple double in 18 minutes. The Mavericks may have just sealed their fate.

UPDATE: Russ responded after the game (which the Mavericks somehow won!), saying Villanueva’s antics are what “the guys that don’t play” do.

Game 3 is in Dallas on Thursday.


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Rohan Nadkarni
ROHAN NADKARNI

Rohan Nadkarni covers the NBA for SI.com. The Mumbai native and resident fashion critic has written for GQ.com, Miami Herald and Deadspin.