Chris Paul of Winston-Salem, North Carolina has had a marvelous National Basketball Association season at age 36. He is the primary reason why Phoenix finished second in the regular season in the Western Conference at 51 wins and 21 losses.
However, there is no doubt the NBA’s prized point guard is ailing at the moment as Paul’s shoulder has all of a sudden been the primary talk of one of the most intriguing first-round playoff series between Paul’s Suns and the defending NBA Finals champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Paul injured his shoulder in the Suns’ first game of the Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Lakers on Sunday in a 99-90 Suns win. In the contest, Phoenix was able to come through with the W, even though Paul was not that effective (eight assists, seven points, and four rebounds in 36 minutes). In game two, a 109-102 Lakers win, Paul only played 23 minutes, and his statistical line was similar to game one where he was single digits in each major category once again (six points, five assists, and three rebounds). Then on Thursday for game three, it was much the same. Paul had seven points, six assists, and five boards in 27 minutes, in a 109-95 Lakers win.
One must realize, Paul had a regular season where he averaged 16.4 points per game, and 8.9 assists per game. He also found phenomenal chemistry with Devin Booker, who had 25.6 points per game in the regular season. One could argue that Paul could be considered Phoenix’s best point guard since Steve Nash.
Ironically it was the Los Angeles Lakers that had the injury bug in the regular season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis both had injuries. Now with James and Davis in the lineup, the Lakers are in control with a 2-1 series lead. Phoenix clearly needs Paul, and if he does not improve his productivity, the Lakers could be the first team in the series to win four games first.
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