The Chris Paul Rollercoaster

After stringing together a stretch of efficient, decisive, and clutch performances from the conference semifinals against Denver through the first couple games of this Finals series and gaining a massive hype train behind him as he attempted to win a title that had proven to be incredibly elusive throughout his career, Chris Paul is in danger of faltering in the most monumental series of his career.

For a player that has been undeniably great at elevating both the floors and the ceilings of virtually every team he has been on, the primary assailment leveled against his legacy is his lack of postseason success. Prior to this season, Paul had never been to an NBA Finals, and a freak influx of injuries weakening some of the perceived juggernauts in the league opened the door wide open for him to remove the glaring black mark on his career's resume. With strong performances and a decisive 2-0 lead, it seemed that Paul finally had the upper hand over whatever had held him back for 15+ years. Enter Giannis Antetokounmpo, a surprisingly ready Khris Middleton, and some decidedly poor performances from Paul and Booker at seemingly the worst times possible (especially Paul's Game 4 stinker), and the Bucks, not Chris Paul's Suns, are suddenly playing Game 6 at home with a chance to clinch the championship.

I've personally had a back-and-forth on how much I like Chris Paul throughout his entire career. I loved him when he was in New Orleans, I respected his ability on the Clippers, and I grew tired of him during his time in Houston. His ability to control a game is unassailable, and his resurrection of the team and himself in OKC last season won me over to a degree. Still, as we've been able to watch an entire team fall in lock-step with his modus operandi this year, I find myself torn yet again. He does so much good stuff that I love in a player, but he muddies the water with flops, dirty plays, and generally just being annoying in a bad way. Defenders of Paul will cite that he's attempting (and often succeeding) to gain a competitive edge over his opponents, but I would counter by asking what those actions ultimately add if he repeatedly fails to come through in the moments that he should, theoretically, be the most prepared for.

I've heard major sports podcasts and read articles making the case for Paul being the second-best point guard of all time (ahead of Isiah Thomas and behind Magic Johnson). If he blows what would be his 4th career series win which his team held a 2-0 lead (which would be more than any other player in NBA history), I would argue that his ceiling should be capped at third-best. If you count Steph Curry as a PG, Paul probably should already be behind him as well. Championships shouldn't be the only thing we judge players on when it comes to placing them in the all-time hierarchy, but performance in games that matter is what separates Michael Jordan from Clyde Drexler, etc. I don't want to hear about his alleged injury problems because he's had plenty of solid/spectacular moments since then that proved he is not dealing with an unbeatable obstacle. I would be much more likely to give him leeway if his entire career didn't mirror exactly what seems to be happening right now.

Magnifying the importance of this moment for Paul is something I mentioned earlier: The Injuries. While I think the Suns could have legitimately beaten all the other teams in the Western Conference at full strength this season, I'm skeptical that they would be able to replicate the same path next year. Paul is on the wrong side of 35, and Phoenix's young core is as cheap as they'll ever be. Barring unforeseen injury setbacks, the Warriors, Nuggets, and Lakers will be legitimate championship-caliber teams next season (and each was wounded this year). Luka Doncic will be a year older carrying the Mavericks. If they are able to weather the regular season without him, the Clippers team that took Phoenix to six games might have Kawhi back. That's five legit threats that are known commodities without even mentioning the looming spectre of the Brooklyn Nets coming out of the East. Merely playing the odds, it's clear that this is undeniably Phoenix's best chance to win the title in the next few years. And it looks like they've squandered it.

While Phoenix's run to the Finals has been exciting and revolutionary for essentially every player involved including CP3, the Suns haven't been on the brink like this. The most precarious position they were in was down 2-1 to the Lakers in Round One, and their comeback from that deficit was significantly boosted by an Anthony Davis injury. What I mean to say is this: For all the wonderful wins and performances that the Suns have been able to put together during this playoff run, they really haven't had to rise to the occasion against a fully-functional opponent. Paul has had some phenomenal individual performances, but they've almost all come when his team was playing with house money. The Suns need A+ Chris Paul for two games, and he needs to show that he can do that. It's never too late to start.