Chris Paul’s long road to the Western Conference Finals is over, as the Houston Rockets face off against the Golden State Warriors
Perception is reality and nowhere is that truer than in the sports world.
Kobe couldn’t win a title on his own – until he won two without Shaq. LeBron James wasn’t clutch – until he won his first championship. Steph Curry was injury prone – until he put together his unanimous MVP season. But no NBA player in recent history has been more affected by this plight of shortsightedness than the Houston Rocket’s point guard Chris Paul.
In an age of sports hot takes, it’s hard for fans and pundits alike to wrap their mind around the basketball playing contradiction of Paul’s career to date. How does a player with the personal accolades that he has not made a Conference Finals? How is the best point guard in the league not able to elevate himself and his team when it matters most?
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Chris Paul has spent his entire career straddling this line between all-time great player and lack of postseason success. From his early days with the New Orleans Hornets (yes the Hornets) to the second phase of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Paul’s regular season resume cannot be dismissed.
With career averages of 18.7 points and 9.9 assists per game heading into this season, Paul firmly has placed himself in the same conversation with other point guard greats. The difference between Paul and the cream of the crop? The postseason (or lack thereof).
The eight-time all-star hasn’t been a stranger to the playoffs, but this season’s postseason success is new territory. In Paul’s 13 years in the league, he has been to the playoffs 10 times but only advanced past the first round five times. This year, his first with the Rockets, is the 33-year-old’s first Western Conference Finals appearance. Paul made quite the scene on his way in.
A career worth of questions answered in one night
When the Rockets traded for Chris Paul in June to pair with their franchise star James Harden everyone asked the same question. How will two ball dominant guards coexist in the same ecosystem? Turns out there was nothing to worry about. The two stars meshed together better than most forecasted en route to the overall best record in the NBA this year.
Part of their success lay in coach Mike D’Antoni’s decision to let the two guards play off of each other. Both have shined awfully bright at moments this year but it was so fitting that it was Paul’s turn to shine in Game 5 of the Rockets win over the Jazz.
The closeout game was Paul’s from start to finish. He tallied 41 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and shot 8-10 from beyond the arc. Simply put Chris was a man on a mission. His costar Harden struggled from the field but it didn’t matter. Paul made sure of it.
Must Read: 2018 NBA Playoffs: Last time the Rockets-Warriors met in the postseason
The lights will get brighter, the stage bigger and the opponents tougher in the next round. But that’s a conversation for another day. Today Chris Paul has removed a haunting asterisk on his resume and silenced his critics for now. Up next is the Warriors and a chance for Paul to cement his spot in point guard lore.