Greatness is personified in key moments, picking your team up and carrying them across the finish line. The Flu Game, Double Nickel, The Baby Hook, The Shot, The Boston Massacre and the Lebron coming out party in Detroit are just some of the moments seared in the minds of hoops fans over the years. Every now and then we get a moment where a star takes over but recently nothing has went down in comparison to those moments. Last night Chris Paul had a chance to have his moment....but failed.
Paul has been lauded for years for being an upper echelon point guard and deservedly so. His notoriety for being a leader on and off the court has led to national endorsements and a position as head of the players union. He has always been expected to be one of the greats, one who will no doubt be the key component of a championship team.
Armed with a more focused DeAndre Jordan and improved Blake Griffin, he has his best supporting cast since he came into the league nine years ago. New coach Doc Rivers seems to be the perfect compliment to Paul, a true extension of the coach and scheme on the floor.
Preaching a more tempo controlled offense, running when it’s there instead of the free for all lob city offense that excited fans but never gave the LA Clippers any real chance of advancing deep in the postseason, the Clippers actually look to be in contention for a title.
Going into Game five tied up 2-2 in their Western Conference Semifinal verses the Oklahoma City Thunder this series has now turned into a best of 3 series with the Thunder having home court advantage. Winning one of the games in Oklahoma would be essential. The two teams are evenly matched but the Clippers boast a roster that can go 10 deep giving them a clear advantage.
Paul is averaging 19 points and 10 assists on 46% shooting including a career high 45% from three point land. Outside of the three point percentage, those are numbers that Paul is expected to put up. He has at times been the best player on the floor, exuding all of the confidence of a player of his ability.
Something peculiar happened last night in the fourth quarter with his team was up 13 with 4:13 left to play. The scenes played by both teams were familiar: The hostile crowd was seemingly out of it. The Thunder players had looks of disbelief on their faces as they now faced possible elimination in the next game at Staples Center. The Clippers bench was standing and towel waving in jubilation. All seemed right for CP3 to take a much needed step to furthering his legacy.
Over the next 4:13 CP3 would do the following:
Commit two personal fouls (probably should have been charged with a third,) two turnovers and missed two out of three shots. Now something the stats will not tell you is that the flow of the Clippers offense was completely pedestrian down the stretch.
High screen and rolls were run seemingly every possession when Jamal Crawford decided to not go one on five. There were no post up opportunities for Griffin, it seemed as though the Clippers had no clue as to how to close out the Thunder up 13. The lead started the dwindle and panic was worn throughout the Clipper players. The jubilant bench was now seated on the edge of their seat wishing for a running clock to get the game over with as soon as possible.
Crawford, who shot 7-22, seemed to think he was the guy to seal the win. He chucked up two brick threes and missed a layup. The tempo was gone, the Clippers were running around with no thought as to what to do. There was no plan of attack besides that high screen and roll. Certainly a player of Paul’s ability can think of something better than a highly anticipated screen and roll at the top of the key...right?
After hitting his only field goal in the infamous 4:13 to push the lead back to seven with 49.2 seconds to play, Paul posed with a look of swag that he hasn’t exhibited a lot in his career. He let down his always stoic guard to let us in. He just knew that he clinched the game and maybe even the series. Another landmark highlight to add to his reel. Sadly for Paul the next 49.2 seconds will more likely be on his reel than that one field goal.
Five quick points from Kevin Durant cut the lead to two with 17.8 seconds to play. Westbrook steals the ball from Paul who for some reason did not want to get fouled and in doing so lost the ball. Now with 11 seconds left Westbrook pulls up what for sure looks like a “I want to be the hero” three point attempt and Paul fouls him giving him three free throws to potential give the Thunder the lead. Westbrook calmly sinks all three and now the Clippers have 6.4 seconds to steal victory from the hands of the defeat.
Paul gets the ball, runs what seems to be the hundredth screen and roll at the top of the key, drives on Serge Ibaka, gives him a couple of hesitation dribbles, somehow (with a little help from Thunder guard Reggie Jackson) loses control of the ball which Ibaka recovers as times expires.
A despondent Paul can only walk back to the locker room as the Thunder celebrate one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent memory. Many will talk about the controversial call between Jackson and Matt Barnes that led to the Paul foul on Westbrook but this game was lost many times before that.
Paul’s inability to control the offense, run good plays and get the clock in a manageable position is what cost them. When Jamal Crawford twice went one on five and took two horrible three pointers Paul never ran over to get the ball from out of his nut hands. Instead of letting Westbrook take out the out of control three which everyone watching (including a seething Kevin Durant) knew was coming, he decided to hack Westbrook on the arm. Paul did just about everything wrong in the last 4:13 of that game.
Where does Paul go from here? Can the Clippers take the next two and win the series? Sure but the road is most definitely tougher. Is this the kind of loss that is too difficult to rebound from? Paul’s legacy took a major hit last night and he only has himself to blame.
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