It was five years ago when James Harden draped his arms around the shoulders of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant as they watched the 2012 Miami Heat celebrate their championship on the AmericanAirlines Arena floor. Despite the Finals loss, the future was bright in Oklahoma City.
A few weeks later, the trio represented the Thunder as the only NBA organization with three members on the star-studded 2012 Team USA squad that ripped through the London Olympics.
Ever since then, though, the NBA has been turned inside out. Before the 2012-13 season, Harden was traded suddenly to the Rockets, a team that just stunned the league again by trading for Chris Paul.