OKLAHOMA CITY -- There were few indications before August that Russell Westbrook would be so willing to be the hero downtrodden Thunder fans needed.For years, the sometimes combustible Westbrook toiled in Kevin Durants shadow. He often was viewed as the talented, selfish player who was as likely to get in Durants way as he was to make a winning play. His flashy style seemed at odds with small-market Oklahoma City so when Durant, who seemingly was a better fit in OKC, left for rival Golden State, fear that Westbrook would bolt for a larger market increased.He didnt. He chose to re-sign with the Thunder and now that he has answered the call, its time to deliver.We know a few things about Russell at this point, Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. Hes going to bring his lunch pail every day. Hes going to compete. Hes going to inspire. Hes going to show great conviction and courage to his teammates, to the city, to the organization. And from there, we have to figure out how that comes together.That trek begins Wednesday in Philadelphia when Oklahoma City officially tips off the post-Durant era in its season opener against the 76ers.Westbrook is now the unquestioned leader of the Thunder and player folks behind the scenes knew -- the thoughtful, humble, giving man -- has more readily come to the surface. He has gone to great lengths to connect with Thunder fans in recent months.Among other things, he unveiled his new line of True Religion clothing near downtown Oklahoma City and he attended an Oklahoma home football game against Louisiana-Monroe wearing a custom-made Sooners jersey. When he was introduced to the crowd before the Thunders preseason home opener, he got the kinds of cheers normally reserved for a return from injury.Westbrook seems more at ease on the court, too. His preseason play seemed more effortless than electric, with an occasional flourish.I want the team to play how they want to play, Westbrook said. I mean, its not totally up to me how we play. You have to adjust to the team you have and adjust on a night-in, night-out basis on how you want to play. You want to play fast some nights and you want to play slow. I think it depends on the game, on the situation, who is on the floor.He is poised to put up astronomical numbers this season as he tries to keep the Thunder among the NBA elite.Last season Westbrook averaged 23.5 points and career highs of 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds. He posted 18 triple-doubles, the most for a player since Magic Johnson had 18 during the 1981-82 season. The two-time All-Star MVP and former scoring champion could do more damage without Durant, but the Thunder dont want too much pressure on him.I think we have to be able to play in a way thats not just relying on him to do everything and create every single shot, whether its him making the shot or making the play for another guy, Thunder forward Nick Collison said.Westbrook already has left an impression on his new backcourt mate Victor Oladipo, who was acquired in the trade that sent defensive enforcer Serge Ibaka to Orlando.After working with Russ, I can see the intensity in how serious he was about his craft, Oladipo said. But one thing that I realized that after guarding him for three years -- I can see why hes so effective at what he does. I definitely stole that from him, and Im going to take it and run as fast as I can with it.How Oladipo and the rest of the Thunder do in keeping up with Russell will determine how much success the team will have. Oklahoma City is no longer considered the team to beat in championship conversations, and thats fine with Westbrook. He said the team embraces the underdog role.I love it, he said. I love it, man. I think its a great challenge, not just for myself, but for our whole team. I think just from talking to the guys throughout the summer, they understand that. They want to win. They want to get better.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP . Colton Sissons Jersey . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Nashville Predators Jerseys . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.nhlpredatorshockeyshop.com/austin-watson-jersey/ .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. Kevin Fiala Jersey . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Anthony Bitetto Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Even when it would have helped Ohio State for its rival to win, the Buckeyes still couldnt bring themselves to cheer for Michigan.After falling into a precarious scenario in the Big Ten East Division race thanks to the upset loss for the Wolverines on Saturday night against Iowa, the Buckeyes made it clear that the bad blood between the programs trumped any self-interest in preserving a three-way tiebreaker that would potentially allow them to advance to play for the conference title.The Buckeyes were always going to need to win their closing games to stay in contention for a Big Ten championship, including the huge showdown with the Wolverines on Nov. 26. But now theyll also need Penn State to lose once more to avoid losing a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Nittany Lions. For now, though, that doesnt appear to be troubling the Buckeyes.No, I dont root for them, junior captain Raekwon McMillan said. No. I mean, as a player and as our rival, I really just dont root for them at all. Its not a thing that I do, and I dont feel like anybody at our university should, either. It is what it is.None of my teammates were mad about them losing. That was our rival. We did want to play the best, highest-ranked team or whatever, but thats all I have to say about that.The Buckeyes might be comforted by their improved chances of making the four-team Colleege Football Playoff field without winning the Big Ten -- with a potential path opening up ahead of them thanks to not only Michigans loss but also upsets of previously unbeaten Clemson and Washington.dddddddddddd.Ohio State moved up to No. 2 in the AP poll on Sunday. And, after checking in at No. 5, according to the playoff selection committee a week ago, it will likely move into position to contend for the national championship when the new rankings are released Tuesday night. And the ability to stay there will ultimately come down to winning Saturday against Michigan State and in the finale against the Wolverines, whether they get help in the division or not.You know, no, not really; we dont really ever want to root for those guys, center Pat Elflein said. It was just an exciting football game to watch. I was watching with my roommates, and youre thinking about those scenarios and all that, but what I said is we have to win out. First win against Michigan State, then win the rest of our games, if we even want to dabble with the playoff and the championship. We have to win Saturday before we can even talk about that.I was watching, though. I knew No. 2, 3 and 4 went down. It was an exciting night of football -- a lot of upsets. 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