Mark Cuban doesn’t identify Russell Westbrook as a superstar

The series between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder has been chippy throughout, with the apex happening in the last minute of Game 4 when Kevin Durant hit Justin Anderson in the head. But all of that was limited to the court, and the majority of it is simply the result of aggressive play.

But now Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is spilling out the bad blood between the two teams away from the court. While he thinks Kevin Durant is a superstar, he doesn’t consider Russell Westbrook—the same player who has taken over games in their series with 23.5 points per game—to be in that same caliber.

Now, the line between All-Star and superstar really depends on one’s definition of both terms, but the timing of this is particular given Westbrook’s beef with the Mavericks. Westbrook has been antagonized by the Mavericks, including by Charlie Villanueva who walked in on the Thunders’ pregame dancing. And though that seemed to be somewhat rooted in good fun, it became very serious quickly.

We can’t say we agree with Cuban’s analysis, but Westbrook will probably have something to say about it. Maybe he’ll do it on the court rather than in interviews.

UPDATE: Russell didn’t have to say anything because Kevin Durant did all of the talking for him.