Oklahoma City Thunder Notches Historic Playoff Series Despite Losing Against The Houston Rockets

It was a significant postseason for the Oklahoma City Thunder as Chris Paul and the rest of the team notched historic numbers in their first-round run. Despite the adversity, the underdog franchise gave the whole world a show in the early stages of the 2020 playoffs.

A stat line of 19 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists wrapped up the season for Paul as he became the oldest player with a game seven triple-double in NBA history. To add to this, the young Lugentz Dort put up an impressive night that puts him side by side with Oklahoma’s greats as he notched 30 points in the loss. Only Kevin Durant has scored more in a game seven outing with 33 and 39 points.

The rookie also displayed the potential he has to succeed in the league as he’s among elite company in terms of points scored in a game seven before turning 22. The young 21-year-old has overtaken LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in this category.

"It's a tough one. It's tough," Paul said after the loss by way of ESPN.

The odds were stacked against the Thunder during the offseason when they traded their star players Paul George and Russell Westbrook away. The early predictions for the OKC Thunder all had the central theme of them not making it far in the season. But that proved to be the opposite as they eclipsed the prediction of ESPN saying they only had a 0.2% chance of making the playoffs.

"We fought hard all year. Honestly, a lot of people doubted us, but we didn't doubt ourselves. We didn't give a damn about anybody's predictions going into any series," Paul continued.

Amidst the close 104-102 defeat, the Thunder competed with all their heart and are only looking to get better in the future. The George trade and other moves in the offseason had them haul as many as fifteen first-round picks in the next seven drafts and are looking to build in the years to come.

Certain pieces for Oklahoma also played well in the bubble as Dennis Schroder who notched 12 points six rebounds and five assists. The young Shai Gilgeous Alexander also had a decent outing with 19 points and shooting three out of four from beyond the arc.

The loss may have eliminated the Thunder but they’re looking to get stronger in the years to come. For the Houston Rockets, they’re set to square off against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs.