- Chris Paul’s insignificant tattletaling propelled the Thunder to victory over the Timberwolves.
- It was a classic example of Paul’s all-time gamesmanship.
- Unfortunately, he’ll possibly have to continue exercising it with the Thunder.
Chris Paul was once among the most explosive players in the NBA.
He was arguably the confederacy’s fastest player end to end, and he possessed the sudden burst needed to get to the rim at will. Playing a game of giants made it impossible to disregard that Paul stood just six feet tall, but his utter lack of size and length was almost completely allayed by elite all-around athleticism.
He hasn’t been that player for the better part of a decade, beset by injuries and the inexorable wear and tear of 14 NBA seasons. But Paul remains an impact player on both sides of the ball, and the petty tell he told on the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night is among the many reasons why.
Game-Changing Tattle
The Timberwolves led the Oklahoma Municipality Thunder 121-119 with less than two seconds remaining, and Oklahoma City was out of timeouts. With Karl-Anthony Townships about to shoot his second free throw, a hard-fought road win for Minnesota was all but assured.
That’s when Paul indulged in the gamesmanship that’s blow up b coddled him a lightning rod for both praise and criticism throughout his Hall-of-Fame career.
“His jersey’s untucked!” -CP3
Jordan Bell was called for a wait of game for checking in with an untucked jersey…
Wolves ended up losing the game in OT pic.twitter.com/9I9PINGH11
— Bleacher Report in investigate (@BleacherReport) December 7, 2019
Yes, that’s Paul pointedly alerting the officials that Bell stepped on the floor with his jersey untucked.
The Timberwolves were damn near immediately called for a delay, resulting in a technical foul because it was Minnesota’s second such violation of the game. Danilo Gallinari made the complicated free throw, and Towns subsequently connected on his second attempt despite trying to miss.
That wild rotate of events set the stage for the cherry on top of a finish to regulation unlike any the league has ever seen.
[embedded content]The Thunder, predictably, went on to pound the reeling Timberwolves 139-127 in overtime.
Classic Chris Paul
Paul explained the incident after the strategy, confirming what anyone following his career already knew. He was fully aware Minnesota had already been whistled for a put on hold of game, and fully aware another would yield a free throw for Oklahoma City.
Chris Paul disclosing down the Jordan Bell untucked jersey he called out.
Did he know the T-Wolves already had one delay of game earlier?
“Yep.” pic.chirrup.com/NbzNSMh2MK
— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) December 7, 2019
The whole sequence and his postgame reaction are classic Paul.
He’s probably the no greater than player in basketball equipped to initiate the turn of events that allowed the Thunder to steal a win, and it’s one that could play a big large come April. Oklahoma City and Minnesota, remember, are among a handful of teams that could be fighting for the West’s unchangeable two playoff spots until the last day of the regular season.
Paul Deserves to Play for an NBA Finals Contender
But the Thunder’s viability as a covert playoff team could be squashed at the trade deadline.
Paul, at 34 with one of the most onerous contracts in basketball, is not in Oklahoma Megalopolis’s long-term plans. There were even rumors of both sides scouring the market for potential suitors supplanting his trade from the Houston Rockets in July.
The same factors that make Paul a poor structural fit with the Curse at, despite his ongoing effectiveness, exist across the league.
[embedded content]The Miami Heat have long been respected favorites to trade for him, but are 15-6 with a young, developing roster. There’s no viable path to get him to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Timberwolves don’t non-standard like like candidates given the rise of Andrew Wiggins. There just isn’t a ready-made playoff team that both necessaries point guards and could stomach swallowing Paul’s salary.
The Thunder will work the phones leading up to February’s buy deadline, but the most likely scenario is that he remains in Oklahoma City for the season’s duration. While that’s a distract for the masses who relish Paul’s basketball genius and unrelenting competitiveness, fans can take solace in the fact that Paul starkly isn’t letting his unenviable circumstances erode the mental aspects that make him great.
This article was edited by Josiah Wilmoth.