There was no better way for this season to have turned out.
With the win Wednesday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder locked up either the fourth or fifth seed in the playoffs. They will face the Houston Rockets.
Thunder point guard Chris Paul will face his former team.
Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook will face his former team.
It’s the most dramatic possible way for the playoffs to start.
Yet Paul was rather tight-lipped when asked about the series in the Zoom postgame press conference, keeping his comments on the subject to a minimum:
“It’ll be interesting. Two teams that know a lot about each other. We’ll prepare. Get ready. And we’ll see what’s what.”
Paul played two seasons with the Rockets, averaging 17.1 points, 8.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game over the two seasons. He and star James Harden reportedly had a falling out that led to Paul being traded to the Thunder, though Harden denied the rumors.
With the Thunder, Paul got back to the All-Star game for the first time since his Los Angeles Clipper days and led the team to this playoff appearance.
Westbrook, meanwhile, was the face and heart of Oklahoma City. He played 11 seasons with the Thunder, winning the 2016-17 Most Valuable Player award as he averaged more than 31 points and a triple-double over the year.
He was traded for Paul this offseason after Paul George requested a trade from the Thunder to the Clippers.
Now, Westbrook will get to meet up with his longtime team. Paul will get a chance to show the Rockets they were wrong for trading him.
The NBA playoffs begin Monday.
