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Paul George explosion just another sign this could be the OKC Thunder’s year

By Albert Dadson

BROOKLYN, NY - DECEMBER 5: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder talks with the media after the game against the Brooklyn Nets on December 5, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - DECEMBER 5: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder talks with the media after the game against the Brooklyn Nets on December 5, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After Paul George’s 47-point explosion, the OKC Thunder are now second in the Western Conference and just a half game out of first place.

What a difference a year makes. Last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the biggest disappointments in the Western Conference after their Big 3 of Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook were not able to get out of the first round. This year, the OKC Thunder look to get into the No. 1 seed in the West.

It looked like it was over for the Thunder against the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night, when Paul George came to life. The Thunder were down by as many as 23 points, but George was able to drop 25 in the final frame and lead the Thunder to a 114-112 win. He finished with 47 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and was a +12 to finish the game.

George told NBA.com after the game:

"‘Yeah, it felt good,” George said. ”I had the hot hand, I knew I had the hot hand. I just felt good all game.”"

This is the Thunder’s biggest win of the season, as now they are only half a game out of the top spot in the Western Conference.

This is after an offseason where OKC didn’t know if George would be coming back to the team and the Thunder disbanded a Big 3 that underachieved all last season by trading Melo away.

If it were last year, the Thunder would have lost a game like this, but this year’s team has proven to be resilient. They have overcome missing Westbrook for eight games and not having their defensive stud in Andre Roberson to become one of the best teams in the West.

When Roberson comes back, the team should be even better on the defensive end — and they are already first in the league in defensive rating at 100.9.

The Thunder look like they have a good chemistry out on the court, especially on the defensive end, turning defense into offense.

Last year George and Westbrook were two of the top players in steals. This year they are picking up where they left off. George averages 2.1 steals a game and is fifth in the NBA, while Westbrook averages 1.9 steals a game and is sixth. The Thunder are also first in steals as a team at 10.2 per game.

On offense, OKC is one of the best fast break teams in the league. Their ability to steal the ball and their ability to rebound the ball (third in the league with 48.9 per game) is the reason they are seventh in the league in fast break points at 15.5 per game.

OKC doesn’t have to play fast either. They can switch it up and play slow. They are second in the league in second chance points with 16.0 per game, which helps their half-court offense.

This may be OKC’s year because of the fact that they have started to win games against teams they are better than, and also win games against teams they are not better than on paper.

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The rest of the Western Conference has benefited from the Golden State Warriors’ injuries and there are many surprises like the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nugget. But with Paul George playing like a superstar and an improved bench, the OKC Thunder may have a chance to claim the top spot in the West this year.

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