Suns' Chris Paul keeps a positive attitude after his absence against the Clippers

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LOS ANGELES – With the same frankness he often uses towards his teammates and officials, Phoenix Suns goalie Chris Paul has spoken candidly and critically about his own game.

In his first game after being out for eight days due to NBA health and safety protocols, Paul survived the Suns’ Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers with 15 points while shooting 5. of 19 from the field and 2 of -7 from the 3 point range.

“I have to be better,” said Paul. “I shot terribly. I have to pick up the pace. “

Despite his frustrations, Paul maintained a perspective on his unfortunate circumstances.

What did Paul do with the positive test for the coronavirus when he had already received the COVID-19 vaccine? “(Expletive) is coming,” he said.

What did Paul think about his fitness and health in 39 minutes after missing the Suns wins in Games 1 and 2? “I was good, I will feel even better in the next game,” he said.

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Part of how Paul retained that perspective dates back to his various experiences during his 16-year career in the NBA. His eventual Hall of Fame induction could focus on his position on the NBA’s all-time assists list (currently fifth with 10,275). Or his competitiveness which involves demanding more from his teammates, challenging officials and outsmarting opponents. But throughout Paul’s journey with the former New Orleans Hornets (2005-11), Clippers (2011-17), Houston (2017-19) and Oklahoma City (2019-20), he has experienced five outings in the first round and five losses in the second round, many due to various injuries.

Paul conceded that he had “absolutely” progressed in dealing with adversity because of these experiences. Consider how Paul sees his current situation in his second appearance in the Western Conference Finals.

“Things could be a lot worse,” said Paul. “I’m here now, I have an amazing team in Phoenix and I have the best support system you could ever have. So no one here feels sorry. Everything that happened is in the past, and you move on. ”

Paul lived through many moments that required a short memory.

Paul made two late turnovers that helped the Thunder overcome a 15-point deficit in Game 5 of the 2014 Conference Semifinals, the same year the Clippers survived a seven-game first-round streak against Golden. State while dealing with the fallout on former owner Donald Sterling making racist statements on audio tape. Although he played with a hamstring injury before landing a winning shot in Game 7 of the Clippers First Round Series against San Antonio in 2015, Paul missed two games in the next series before the Clippers don’t waste a 3-1 lead in Houston. .

In 2016, the Clippers lost in the first round to Portland in six games after Paul (fractured right hand) and Blake Griffin (left quarter) were injured in Game 4. Paul remained healthy in 2017, but the Clippers lost to Utah in the first round. round in the middle of Griffin suffering from a right toe injury in Game 3. Soon after, Paul agreed to the Clippers selling him to Houston as part of a trade in hopes of winning a title NBA with James Harden. But Paul’s health and the dominance of the Warriors torpedoed those plans. Paul missed Games 6 and 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals after stretching his right hamstrings in Game 5. The following season Paul missed 17 games with a strained left hamstring and had the tune into the playoffs before the Warriors beat the Rockets in the second round. . The Rockets then transferred him to Oklahoma City for Russell Westbrook.

“He got gratification, he hurt, a lot has happened since then,” said Suns coach Monty Williams, who also coached Paul in New Orleans. “When you have these kinds of experiences and you get older, you benefit more. As much as he gets up and changes his diet and stuff, when you know your window is closing every second, you savor it all. “

Therefore, the Suns observed that Paul took advantage of his recent absence.

He kept in touch with his teammates and Williams via FaceTime, phone calls and texts. Next, Paul offered various comments on the X’s and O’s as well as handling the pressure of the playoffs. And although Paul couldn’t train at the Suns’ training facility, he trained at his home gym.

“The hardest part is being away from your kids and your family,” Paul said. “Once you’ve gotten over the shock of what’s going on, to hell with how and why. You are just starting to understand how you can improve yourself. I have the best team in the world you can have, and I’m here and I’m grateful. “

So when the Suns won Game 2 on Tuesday, Paul didn’t just contact Williams to talk about the win. Paul sent Williams a video of his daughter, Cameron, taking her first winning shot on his third-year basketball team.

“There is a level of maturity that I saw in him,” said Williams. “He has a bigger family, and it’s pretty cool to be with him again. Hope we can continue this thing. “

The Suns believe they will do it in part because of Paul. They saw how Paul uplifted Oklahoma City last year with his game and leadership while avoiding serious injury. So, before the start of the 2020-21 season, the Suns acquired Paul and Abdel Nader from the Thunder for Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a first-round pick in 2022. At 36, Paul avoided a major injury this season while finishing fifth in the MVP vote due to his efficiency in scoring (16.4 points), shooting (49.9%) and assists (8.9 assists).

“I’ve learned, after being around him for as long as I’ve got him, not to put him in a box on anything,” Williams said. “You can sit here and look at her age and look at the miles and try to project what she has left. I wouldn’t do that. “

Therefore, the Suns are considering Paul to have a rebound performance in Game 4.

After playing Paul for too many minutes in Game 3, Williams predicted “it might end up helping him put your body through this pain.” Williams added, “Once he’s got a game like this under his belt, he tends to bounce back better than most from a conditioning standpoint. “

This is because Paul learned to see failure as an opportunity to overcome it.

“It was good to come back and play,” said Paul. “Now we have unfinished business. “

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Suns’ Chris Paul keeps a positive attitude after his absence against the Clippers

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