Paul Leading Thunder Into the Playoffs
The best thing about life is its unpredictability. A year ago, we (ok me) were convinced that the Thunder were about to start a long rebuilding process, and the recent acquisitions of Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari would serve to help Sam Presti obtain more valuable draft capital.
Not only are Paul and Gallinari still with the Thunder, they are two of the main cogs in a machine that might help Oklahoma City make it's longest playoff run since 2016. It's been said a thousand times (so make it a thousand and one) the two most impactful assets Paul brings to the Thunder are experience and hunger.
At 35, Paul still has a lot to prove, mainly, that he's still good enough to lead a team to a championship. No one would dare question Paul's desire, but last Summer's trade is giving him an extra reason to keep pushing Oklahoma City's young core to grow up a little faster.
More than once during ESPN's telecast of Wednesday's 105-86 win over the Lakers Dorris Burke mentioned the Thunder's odds of making the playoffs were point two percent. Paul is using the outside noise to help motivate his team.
"We've put in a lot of work to get ready for this."..."Nobody expected us to be here, point two, point two percent."
Paul gives credit to the Thunder's young players for putting in the work to stay in shape and get better during the layoff. Paul was the busiest man in the NBA during the hiatus, but between the daily talks with Adam Silver and promoting his documentary "Blackballed," you can tell he kept his eyes on the Thunder.
Now it's time to make that focus pay off.
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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.
