Russell Westbrook plays like a man possessed. But before he can transform from NBA fashion plate into fire-breathing, triple-double machine, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard takes part in an elaborate pregame ritual featuring ringmaster Cameron Payne, a rookie guard and all-around hype man.

"They were always doing handshakes and stuff," Payne said. "I was like, 'Well I gotta incorporate myself in some type of way.'"

"Cameron has kind of taken it to another level," said Brian Davis, television voice of the Thunder, who has a front-row seat to the team's handshake show, which starts in the tunnel and moves to the court.

"I remember Russell Westbrook talking about Cameron's role and he said, 'You know, he kind of insinuated himself into the thing. He wasn't necessarily invited, he just sort of dove into it.'"

For this year's playoffs, there has been an added level of showmanship, as Payne, the Thunder's 2015 first-round pick, scours social media for the latest dances and moves, mainly on Instagram.

"I just scroll and scroll," he said.

His mom, a former college majorette, even gives him advice. Not that he doesn't draw inspiration from other sources.

"Me and Steven Adams have one," Payne said, referring to the Thunder's big man and resident Dothraki doppelganger. "We did a 'Game of Thrones' one one day. He stabbed me [gestures] then we dabbed -- ahh!"

There's no hesitation when Payne is asked which player has the most elaborate pregame handshake before tipoff.

"Me and Russ," Payne says. "It's 15 seconds, 12 seconds, but that's kind of long for a handshake, right?"

Westbrook is so devoted to the ritual that there was a minor dustup with Charlie Villanueva when the Mavericks forward tried to interrupt the routine.

"I was throwing chalk in the air," Payne explained. "You're not just going to come knock chalk out of my hand. It's just our way of getting focused."

Nearly every member of the team has a custom handshake that varies from game to game. Viewers who see the ritual at home might ask themselves if the team devotes time at practice to coming up with some new moves.

"Uh-uh," Payne says, shaking his head. "It starts about 25 minutes before the game."

"If you saw the dance in the locker room," teammate Anthony Morrow said, "that's really the real show right there. That's where all the magic happens. All the handshakes and dances start in the locker room. [TV viewers] just get the finished product.

"[Payne is] just young and he dances all day and he listens to music all day and we kind of just feed off of that and the crowd feeds off it. It's great. I've never really been around a guy that is like that in my eight years in the NBA. His energy is just contagious."

The Thunder's off-the-court personality can be described as businesslike -- Westbrook and Durant barely cracked a smile postgame after back-to-back home blowouts of the Golden State Warriors.

"There's a fire that burns within in that locker room," Davis said. "That emotion has to come out of some place. All of that stuff you see before the game, that's the outlet for the intensity this team carries from the top of the roster to the last guy on the bench."

"I feel like just giving them a little confidence, just let them know I'm there," Payne said. "They make a big shot, just a little bit of extra confidence can go a long way. Even when we don't do good, I'm still down there like, 'Let's go! Let's go!'

"It's just our time. It's just a tight-knit family and we all want to see each other be successful."