Let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room.
Paul George is making his first trip back to Oklahoma City since being traded to the Clippers in July.
The biggest question on Sunday isn’t going to be if the Thunder are going to be able to get a win over their old forward and his new team. The biggest question is going to be how the fans inside Chesapeake Energy Arena welcome him back.
After all, George is primarily responsible for the situation Oklahoma City finds itself in now. Sam Presti trading George to the Clippers was the catalyst for sending Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets.
Now, instead of another season with title aspirations, it’s a season in which the Thunder and their fans are left wondering what the team is going to look like a month from now, let alone by the time the postseason rolls around.
If there is a postseason for Oklahoma City this year.
And it’s not just the fans.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in September, Kevin Durant said that there was a “toxic feeling” from the members of the organization the first time he returned to Oklahoma City after leaving OKC for the Golden State Warriors.
Granted, the situations are different. Durant left for the team that had just knocked the Thunder out of the postseason while George requested to be traded so he could team up with the guy that had just helped the Raptors win the NBA Championship.
It will be interesting to see what kind of greeting awaits George in Oklahoma City. Warm and welcoming? Or boos and bitterness?
The answer will come tomorrow when the Clippers and Thunder tip-off inside Chesapeake Energy Arena at 6 p.m. CT.