NBA, movie stars shine
Russell Westbrook and Team LeBron rolled on Sunday to a 148-145 victory in the All-Star Game.
LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook was out on the Staples Center court early, first shooting with Kemba Walker before working his way to the other end of the court to shoot alone.
He wasn’t alone for long. As Westbrook put up jump shots in his gray “Team LeBron” pullover, a 6-foot-11 sharpshooter made his way over in an allblack All-Star warm up.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were teammates again Sunday in the NBA All-Star Game, and this edition played out a little differently from the onset in Team LeBron’s 148-145 win on Sunday.
This wasn’t the All-Star scoring explosion the world has grown accustomed to from Westbrook, but it was as clutch as an All-Star Game can be from the Los Angeles native.
He finished with just 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting, adding eight rebounds and a game-high eight assists, but was electric in
the final few possessions.
He facilitated LeBron James’s go-ahead bucket with his penetration and pass to Kyrie Irving, defended James Harden tightly from 3-point range, and scored a key layup to put Team LeBron ahead by three with 10.7 seconds left.
So, Westbrook’s game wasn’t All-Star MVP worthy (James was named MVP), but this was a
only ended four years ago, he trained with many of the current Olympians.
One he knows best is Codie Bascue. Dollens rode right behind Bascue hundreds of times, and now, Bascue is piloting the No. 1 sleds for the Americans in these Games.
“I’ve seen a lot of these kids grow up,” Dollens said, “and now, they’re some of the best in the world.”
He still marvels at his time with USA Bobsled in large part because it was completely unexpected.
After Dollens’ last college season in 2010, he decided to make a run at the NFL.Get in great shape. Do the drills. Try to catch the eye of a scout.
Then his brother, Joseph, took his own life in early 2011. Joseph had always wanted to see his big brother play in the NFL, so Mickey really threw himself into the preparation. Always undersized on the defensive line, he transformed his body into that of a linebacker.
He was in the best shape of his life.
Still, the NFL wasn’t interested.
USA Bobsled, however, was. The organization often recruits pushers from other sports — football and track especially — and the coach for the national team asked Dollens to attend a regional tryout in Texas.
Next thing Dollens knew, he was in Lake Placid, New York, at the Olympic Sports Complex.
His early runs down the mile-long, ice-covered track were memorable.
“I think it was my third time down the track I realized I hadn’t opened my eyes,” he said, laughing.
When he did, everything was a blur— Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoosh! — so he decided to close his eyes again.
About half way down on his next run, Dollens had another first. His driver didn’t come out of a turn quickly enough and the bobsled turned over.
All the way over. “It’s about a minute of 80 miles an hour on your head,” Dollens said.
Everyone is required to wear helmets, and during training, most bobsledders wear Kevlar vests under their speed suits. Still, the first time new pushers are involved in a crash is sometimes the last time they’ll ride in a bobsled.
Thing is, even the runs that don’t end in a crash are rough.
“It’s like taking a dumpster to the top of a hill, getting in it and then rolling down for a minute,” Dollens said. “When you jump in that, unless you’re with one of the best drivers in the world, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”
And much of his early time, he wasn’t riding with great drivers. As a beginner, Dollens wanted to get as many runs as possible, learn the nuances and perfect the craft. Lots of times, that meant pushing for a novice driver who was also trying to learn how to maneuver a pair of rings attached to the sled’s runners while zooming down a track at 70 or 80 miles per hour.
Many of those novices were young — not old enough to drive a car legally.
“You’re in the back there,” Dollens said, “and they’re just slammin’ ya.”
But one of the young driver she rode with was Bascue. The current Olympian has been called a natural by many and was only 15 when Dollens became part of the team.
Dollens rode in the No. 2 position. Having as much weight as possible in the front of the bobsled is optimal for speed, so as one of the bigger, more muscular pushers, Dollens was suited for that spot.
At the start of the race, all four members of the team push the 350-pound sled. After about 30 yards, the pilot jumps in. Running head down to maximize the push, Dollens would see the pilot in his periphery, take two or three more steps, then jump into the sled himself. That was no easy task. While running full stride on the left side, Dollens would cross his left leg over his right and plant his foot on an indention in the bobsled’s side. That running board allowed Dollens to swing his right leg into the bobsled and get into his tuck.
“I’d have to take about eight Ibuprofen to do it now,” he said of that tuck.
He would sit with his feet wedged under the pilot’s seat, his legs splayed and his head as far between his knees as possible. Two handles near the floor helped him pull himself into a tighter tuck.
The goal was to sit low enough to offer no wind resistance.
Much of the work then fell on the driver to get the bobsled to the bottom of the track as quickly as possible. The pushers, though, couldn’t just go along for the ride.
“You learn when to breathe,” Dollens said.
On the highest banks of a track, the force can go as high as five Gs. In those moments, taking a breath is impossible, so while walking the track before a competition, everyone memorizes it to know when those extremes are coming.
Dollens loved his time with Team USA, but when he wasn’t selected to go to the Olympics in 2014, he decided his bobsled career had run its course. Being a bobsledder in America isn’t a lucrative gig, and Dollens was ready to return to Oklahoma.
Yes, he could’ve made a run at another Olympics. Maybe he could’ve even stayed with Bascue and been in that No. 1 bobsled in Pyeongchang.
But Dollens knows he made the right decision. He’s gotten married. He’s soon to be a father for the first time.
He’s also in the Oklahoma House of Representatives representing District 93, which covers a sizable chunk of the south side of Oklahoma City.
But fair warning to anyone who sees Dollens around town this week — he’s going to want to talk about the bobsled competition happening half a world away.
“It’s much more pleasant than these other talks we’ve been having,” he said as he sat in his office at the state capitol. He chuckled. “Going downhill fast.”
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok or view her personality page at newsok.com/jennicarlson.