Fire flickered in Chris Paul’s eyes as he turned his head. But his tone remained cool.

Paul had given reporters that look before. The answer that followed often propped up his teammates and dismissed the question in one go. It was the rip move of interview tactics — playing within the rules while hanging the opponent out to dry.

This time, after the Thunder’s one-point loss to the Celtics on Sunday, a reporter in the postgame media scrum asked Paul about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s turnover with five seconds left and a chance to tie the game. What was the discussion in the locker room about that play?

“Ain’t no discussion,” Paul said. “It’s basketball, you know what I mean? You have turnovers, you have missed shots. So, yeeaahh. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team where there was a discussion about a play like that.”