Disappointing.
There’s simply no better word to describe the Thunder’s Game 7 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night.
Sure, Oklahoma City was an overachiever this season. Few thought the club would qualify for the postseason, much less take James Harden and Russell Westbrook to a Game 7. But to be so close — to hold a one-point lead with 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter despite poorly executing down the stretch — it’s a tough pill to swallow.
Overall, though, one person whose performance drew praise was Chris Paul.
Nobody thought the Thunder would have much of a shot in the series, just like nobody thought that Paul would become the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double in a Game 7, but against his former club, that’s exactly what he did.
At 35 years and 119 days old, Paul far surpassed his good friend LeBron James as the oldest player in NBA history to record a Game 7 triple-double.
James, the previous record-holder, did so in Game 7 against the Warriors back in the 2016 NBA Finals. James recorded 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Obviously, the stakes were higher for James, especially considering his Cavaliers became the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals, but Paul’s 19-point, 11-rebound, 12-assist effort accomplished something similar for him as James’ did for him — vindication.
Oldest players with a triple-double in a Game 7 (age in years-days):
35-119 Chris Paul (tonight)
31-172 LeBron James (6/19/2016)
30-342 Jerry West (5/5/1969)
27-158 Larry Bird (5/13/1984)
27-115 James Worthy (6/21/1988)— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) September 3, 2020
While it’s foolish to suggest that Paul accomplished anything close to what James (and Kyrie Irving) did in 2016, on a personal level, Paul proved that he’s far more than an albatross contract. That’s what many thought of him when he arrived in Oklahoma City. Over the course of the entire season, he slowly chipped away at that farce.
He’s still one of the top point guards in the game and on Wednesday night, in a Game 7 — despite the fact that his team walked away with a loss — he still proved as much.
Now, the offseason begins. It’s unclear when the 2020-21 season will begin and similarly unclear as to what the future holds for Paul. His individual brilliance has probably improved his value on the trade market, but considering the team’s relative success this season, nobody could fault Sam Presti for wanting to keep him around.
Based on what we saw on Wednesday night, it’s fair to conclude that Paul improves with age.