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NBA playoffs: The reintroduction of Chris Paul altered the Thunder's roadmap

FOR A MOMENT, there was a question if Chris Paul would ever play a game in an Oklahoma City Thunder uniform.

He arrived last summer after two franchise-altering trades, one sending out All-Star Paul George for young prospects and long-term assets and the other acquiring Paul (and more picks) for team icon Russell Westbrook. The deal suggested an inevitable teardown after a decade of high-level championship contention. Most figured Paul wouldn't want anything to do with that sort of thing at this stage in his career.

"Everybody always tries to tell your story," Paul said earlier this season.