It started with a party.
With the grand opening of the Jones Assembly, a chic music bar in a hip, developing area and a new symbol of cultural and civic evolution in Oklahoma City, the Thunder said hello to Paul George.
It was an offseason coronation, a celebration of a return to Tier 1 relevance. It was the recovery and restoration of a forlorn contender, with George giving a second chance to a jilted superstar and a heartbroken franchise. It was also Day 1 of George's yearlong recruitment.
But the Thunder weren't finished. Two months later, fans gathered under the smoldering September Oklahoma sun at a hangar at Will Rogers World Airport to watch Carmelo Anthony step off a private jet.