Russell Westbrook records 15th triple-double, is basically on another planet

Still on pace to average the statistical feat, recording his 30th triple-double of this calendar year

Sometimes, it looks like Russell Westbrook is playing a different sport than everybody else. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard can accelerate faster than just about anybody, but the way he changes speed and times passes is more impressive now. Westbrook surgically picked apart the Miami Heat's defense Tuesday en route to his 15th triple-double this season (and 30th of the calendar year), finishing with 29 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists in a 106-94 Thunder victory.

Here's the highlight that will get the most attention, an alley-oop dunk to Steven Adams:

The way Adams landed on Hassan Whiteside's back made the play look extra nasty, but it wasn't really Westbrook's best assist. In fact, it wasn't even Westbrook's best alley-oop pass to Adams. That came in the first quarter:

Nowhere in the world will you find a coach who teaches a player to make that pass. As Adams is slipping the screen, Westbrook is jumping from behind the 3-point line. If he doesn't place it perfectly, it looks like an awful, crazy decision.

Westbrook, though, has mastered this kind of thing.

He elevates for jumpers half a beat before you would expect someone to do so. He contorts himself in traffic so he can draw a foul and still score comfortably. He manipulates defenses with jab steps, subtle fakes and the constant threat of getting all the way to the basket. He's in LeBron James' and Chris Paul's category when it comes to getting rid of the ball immediately when a help defender overcommits.

It would be a mistake to say the game looks easy for Westbrook -- his style and demeanor mean that will never exactly be true. Like other all-time greats, though, the game appears to be played at his pace. When he's looking at a set defense, he's in complete control. That is how he can wind up recording a triple-double by the middle of the third quarter, as he did against the Heat.

The Thunder (20-12) have won four straight and five of six. Westbrook is still leading the league in scoring and averaging a triple-double, and is still on pace to be the first player to do that since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62. If he's not your pick for Most Valuable Player right now, you might need to rethink a thing or two.