When Chris Paul was drafted fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) back in 2005, there were expectations that he would take the franchise out of poverty status and bring them to the postseason. For the most part, that is exactly what he did as he immediately became one of the greatest players to ever grace the franchise. From 2005 to 2011, he averaged 18.7 points per game, as well as 9.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds. Unfortunately, these efforts only resulted in three playoff appearances and only one series win, which came in 2008.
At the time, everyone knew Paul was a superstar point guard who could become a top 5 PG of all time if he were to win some titles. CP3 was well-aware of this reality and campaigned to get out of New Orleans. Following the back-to-back title wins by the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant insisted that the purple and gold make a trade for Paul. At the time, the Hornets were owned by the NBA, and commissioner David Stern wasn’t going to let a team owned by the league get fleeced in a bad trade. As a result, any hopes the Lakers had of getting Paul were dashed, and he ended up playing for another Los Angeles-based team, in the Clippers.
With the Clips, Paul and Blake Griffin combined for what is now known as the “lob-city” era of Clippers basketball. During this time, Paul saw a lot more regular-season success as he continued to prove he was one of the best point guards in the league. Not to mention, the Clippers were coached by Doc Rivers, who had won a championship with the Celtics just a few seasons prior. Everything was coming together and it seemed like the Clippers were finally going to reach the promised land, with Paul quarterbacking it all. Unfortunately, just like his days in New Orleans, the playoffs proved to be his downfall.
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This is not to say Paul was particularly bad in the playoffs. In fact, Paul’s points per game averages have always been higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. The issue is that Paul’s career has always resembled some kind of curse that would be cast upon you after using an Ouija board. When it came to Paul in the playoffs, if something could go wrong, it was most definitely going to go wrong. Perhaps the best example of this was back in 2015 when the Clippers were one of the favorites to win the entire championship. Since coming to Los Angeles, it was easily the best roster Paul had ever had, and the expectations were high. In the first round, they defeated the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs in seven games, and in the second round, they were up on the Rockets, 3-1. That’s when disaster struck as the Clippers fell apart over the next three games and lost the series in an embarrassing fashion. Not only was Paul cursed, but it seemed like the Clippers franchise was as well.
In 2016 and 2017, Paul and the Clippers seemed destined to break through although, in the end, they were eliminated in the first round by the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz. CP3 was rightfully fed up with losing and decided to join James Harden in Houston, where they were building a team that could compete with the Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green’s Warriors. During that 2017-2018 season, Paul and Harden seemed to be an unstoppable duo, especially with Harden winning the MVP award. Once they got to the playoffs, they were officially locked in and made quick work of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz. For the first time in his career, Paul got to play in the Western Conference Finals and it was against the Golden State Warriors, who were expected to dominate the series from start to finish. For the first give games, the Rockets made the Warriors work for it and it seemed like they could win the series. That’s when things begin to fall apart, once again.
Paul got injured and it forced Harden to carry the workload by himself. In true playoff Harden fashion, he choked the series away as the Rockets missed 27-straight three-pointers in Game 7. It was yet another case of heartbreak for Paul who seemed on the verge of being able to cement his legacy. After a second-straight playoff exit at the hands of the Warriors in 2019, Paul got traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he was forced to quarterback a team that had no business being any good. Shockingly, Paul led that team to the playoffs and they even almost beat the Rockets in seven games. It was a testament to Paul’s ability to uplift a team, although it was a sad reminder that Paul’s championship clock was ticking.
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Prior to this season, Paul was traded to the Phoenix Suns, and once again, people were doubting whether or not he could do much with the roster. While the Suns almost made the playoffs the year prior, there was no indication that this team was ready for the next level. However, at 36 years old, Paul was determined to prove people wrong and that’s exactly what happened. With players like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton by his side, Paul was able to deliver a level of leadership the team had yet to see. While Paul is far from the best player on this Suns roster, his presence has proven to be instrumental in the Suns’ success. In the regular season, the Suns finished second in the Western Conference, and in the first two rounds of the playoffs, they knocked out the Lakers and Nuggets with ease.
In the Western Conference Finals, Paul had to miss the first two games although he came back with a vengeance, against his former team, the Clippers. After dropping Game 3 in Los Angeles, Paul led his team to victory in Game 4 and it gave his team that dreaded 3-1 lead that has never worked out well for him. Following Game 4, Paul made mention of his infamous 3-1 blown lead from 2015, and it was obvious that he didn’t want something like that to ever happen again. With the Suns losing Game 5 at home, some fans started to press the panic button, as the Clippers were two wins away from confirming just how cursed Paul really is. However, in Game 6, Paul exploded for 41 points in what was the greatest playoff performance in his career. With the win, Paul exorcised all of the demons of his past and took a once broken franchise back to the Finals for the first time in 28 years.
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With the win, many are debating Chris Paul’s place amongst the best point guards in the history of the league, and at this point, most are in agreement that he belongs in the top five. Despite this, the job isn’t done yet. Now, he will have to win four more games before he can hoist that Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time. Next week, he will either face the underdog Atlanta Hawks or a Milwaukee Bucks team that could be without Giannis Antetokounmpo. If Paul wants to win and cement his legacy, the time is now as he may never get another opportunity quite like this one. Regardless, Paul’s patience has paid off, and you can’t help but cheer for the grizzled veteran who’s waited his entire career for this one moment.