The injury-prone Chris Paul will finally have a chance at a title after the basketball gods have pulled an Uno reverse on his injury luck.
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Chris Paul, without having won a ring or even an MVP, has already placed himself in the uppermost echelon of point guards the NBA has even seen. Only legends such as Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Steph Curry reside above him in the all-time rankings as they’re all multiple time champions in this league.
This should be a clear indication of how good Chris Paul really is, as he’s in the conversation with a caliber of players who have all enjoyed the pinnacle of success within the NBA. However, this all could change as the Phoenix Suns have bulldozed their way to the Western Conference Finals after taking care of the reigning league MVP and the Nuggets in 4 games.
CP3 is now two series away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy: an honor that has been oh-so elusive towards him ever since he’s reached the NBA. Not only does Paul have a real shot at his first title, but he does so an absolute sense of irony.
Chris Paul’s injury history in the Playoffs over the years
Chris Paul has had a tumultuous history with injuries when it matters most. Most famously, the point ‘God’ suffered a sore right hamstring that ruled him out for Games 6 and 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals. This led to the Rockets giving up their 3-2 lead to the Warriors, who would go on to sweep a less than worthy title contender in the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He would also suffer injuries in back to back years in the Playoffs, 2015 and 2016 respectively. The Clippers would lose both of these series. The one against the Portland Trail Blazers in 2016 would sting the most out of these two as it was merely in the first round and Blake Griffin had re-aggravated his left quad injury as well.
Fast-forward to present day however, and the tides have turned in Chris Paul’s favor.
Chris Paul is finally not on the receiving end of injuries while in the NBA Playoffs
As unfortunate as it is to say, CP3 will benefit immensely from the slew of injuries that have ravaged the NBA during this postseason. The Lakers not having a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis led to a 4-2 series victory. The Nuggets without Will Barton and Jamal Murray resulted in a 37 point masterpiece in Game 4 to sweep the Nuggets.
Moving over to the Eastern Conference and his potential Finals opponents are also dealing with injuries as well. James Harden and Kyrie Irving are both injured at the moment, with the latter leaving Game 4 last night due to an ankle sprain. Joel Embiid on the other hand, has suffered a tiny lateral meniscus tear in his knee.
If either the Sixers or the Nets or even a Donte DiVincenzo-less Bucks were to remained injured in the Finals (if they were to make it that far), Chris Paul’s real test would be against a probable Clippers team as the Utah Jazz are missing Mike Conley.
