Miami Heat: Who’s been more of an MVP, Jimmy Butler or Chris Paul?

Chris Paul has taken a rag-tag ensemble of talent in the Thunder and taken them deep into the Western Conference standings out in Oklahoma City.

Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder have the ninth-best record in the NBA, right behind Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way though.

When Sam Presti pulled the trigger and traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets, it was considered somewhat of a salary dump. In exchange for the 2016-2017 MVP, the Thunder took on Paul’s salary along with two first-round picks and two future pick swaps.

Now both teams have the same record at 40-24.

A team that was supposed to be sniffing the eighth seed this time of year in this season has 37 wins and is the Western Conference’s fifth seed. At this point last year, behind two All-Stars in Paul George and Westbrook, the Thunder were 39-25.

That, my friends, is the point god effect. And they should have 18 games to go to continue improving on what is already an incredibly impressive season, but the NBA Orlando plan will give them just eight more regular-season matches before entering playoffs.

Thought of as washed at the time of his relocation, Paul has proved that his game is one of the true ageless wonders of the NBA. He’s 35 years old and leading a team into the playoffs.

For those of you thinking it’s just his passing ability and overall IQ that’s leading this Thunder team, you’re wrong. Paul is still winning games for Oklahoma City on his own.

Per NBA.com, he’s leading all qualified players in points per game in the clutch. That’s defined as any in-game scenario where the point differential is five points or less with five minutes to go.