When the Houston Rockets traded Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2019, it appeared to be part of a massive teardown effort in OKC. They already flipped Paul George to the Clippers for a young point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of picks six days prior,

The Thunder is headed to Minneapolis with a 2-0 series lead after beating the Timberwolves 118-103 Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

A few notable Thunder legends were in attendance. No offense to TV personality Kendrick Perkins, but Chris Paul's presence meant a little more to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. After all, he was his mentor in their sole season together in 2019-20.