2021 NBA WCF Hangover (Game 6): Chris Paul Makes It To His First NBA Finals

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Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily. We are now in the Conference Finals!

The Phoenix Suns are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Mark J. Terrill/AP.)

A first was going to happen, regardless of the result. In the end, it’s Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns going to the NBA Finals. It’s the Suns’ FIRST Finals since 1993 and it’s Chris Paul’s first time at this dance in his career.

It’s been quite a journey for Paul to get to this point. He had an upstart team with the New Orleans Hornets in 2008 when he got to the Western semifinals. He would eventually get traded to the Clippers (after the controversial voided trade to the Lakers) where he turned them into postseason regulars and stopped them from being laughingstocks. However, he couldn’t get them past the West semis, either.

Paul was traded to the Rockets in 2017 and he looked like the missing piece for Houston to get back to the NBA Finals. But more bad luck happened and he couldn’t play in Games 6 and 7 against the Golden State Warriors in his first trip to the West Finals. After the Warriors stopped them again in 2019, Paul was traded to Oklahoma City where we figured he had come full circle (the Hornets played in OKC in Paul’s first two years there) and would end his career there. However, Paul still showed he had some juice left by surprisingly taking the Thunder to the playoffs. Ironically, James Harden’s Rockets eliminated them in the first round in the Orlando bubble.

What was happening in the Orlando bubble, though, was the surprising rise of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns had not made the postseason since 2010. Devin Booker got there in 2015 but the Suns never left the bottom. They won 23, 24, 21, and 19 in his first four seasons. It seemed like they were in purgatory forever.

The Suns were doing, uh, decent for themselves at 26-39 in 2019-20 when the world stopped. Somehow, they still qualified for the Bubble as they were 6 games within the 8th seed. What did they do? Win all 8 games they played. They still didn’t qualify for the playoffs but everyone saw that there was finally a glimmer of hope for the Suns in the future.

Phoenix traded for Paul and the rest was history. And of course, because we live in a real-life movie, the Suns HAD to play the Clippers for the right to go to the NBA Finals.

The Clippers seemed to have exhausted legs. DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Morris did what they could to help Paul George. But Jae Crowder (who is somehow still going as he made a Finals appearance in the Bubble in OCTOBER) kept the Suns ahead in the first half. Chris Paul then sealed the deal by making practically every shot and ended with 41 points and 8 assists. That is NEXT LEVEL.

Devin Booker was called an empty-stats dude. Everyone thought Chris Paul was done. Of course, everyone thought the Suns were fools for drafting Deandre Ayton instead of Luka Doncic. Cameron Payne was thought to be done with the NBA after being cut by several teams. In the end, the Phoenix Suns, through it all, have made the NBA Finals.

And people that will try to discredit them don’t know anything. Phoenix was the healthiest, they said. Sure, there is luck involved every single time. But Booker had a broken nose. Paul had a bad shoulder and even caught COVID (he had to sit out the first two games against the Clippers). Phoenix kept their composure and poise and they’re the last team standing in the West.

Let’s give credit to the Clippers. Paul George played his heart out. Reggie Jackson played the best ball of his career. Marcus Morris couldn’t miss. We saw shades of the DeMarcus Cousins of old. Guys like Terence Mann, Ivica Zubac, and Nicolas Batum stepped up. They got to the West Finals WITHOUT Kawhi Leonard. Idiots will also discredit the Clippers and, yes, the reality is that they got eliminated. But I don’t think many expected for them to get this far with this ragtag bunch. Tyronn Lue deserves a lot of credit for coaching the heck out of these guys.

But let’s not take away from what the Phoenix Suns have done. It’s their time. And now they have a shot at their first NBA championship in franchise history.

Bullet Passes

I like Patrick Beverley. You NEED guys like Pat Beverley. If he’s not on your team, he’s annoying as hell.

Just don’t do this, though.

I don’t think he was even provoked; Beverley just went into a blind rage. I mean, these type of guys are very emotional; of course, nobody likes to lose. But his emotions just got the best of him and there’s just no way to defend that cheap shot.

(Also, if you like the physical 90s NBA and you don’t like Patrick Beverley, there is absolutely something wrong with you. BEVERLEY ABSOLUTELY BELONGS IN THAT TYPE OF NBA. You hypocrite.)

Reggie Jackson was incredible in this postseason. He got real emotional after the loss.

Jackson was ready to retire before he was convinced by George to return. Then he just had an amazing playoff run. He played the best ball of his life. His decision-making was much better, he was fearless on his drives, and he became a deadeye from three. Obviously, money can talk but if I were the Clippers, I’d do whatever it takes to keep him.

I don’t want to stop this column without mentioning Monty Williams. He, too, had his own hardships. For him to get to this point is awesome. And remember that his first head coaching job was with the New Orleans Hornets with Chris Paul as the #1 guy.

We’ve come to a real full circle moment.

NBA Playoff Scoreboard

June 30, 2021

NBA Playoff Series Count

EAST

#3 Bucks tied with #5 Hawks, 2-2.

#5 Hawks defeat #1 Sixers, 4-3.
#3 Bucks defeat #2 Nets, 4-3.

#1 Sixers defeat #8 Wizards, 4-1.
#5 Hawks defeat #4 Knicks, 4-1.
#2 Nets defeat #7 Celtics, 4-1.
#3 Bucks defeat #6 Heat, 4-0.

WEST

#2 Suns defeat #4 Clippers, 4-2.

#4 Clippers defeat #1 Jazz, 4-2.
#2 Suns defeat #3 Nuggets, 4-0.

#1 Jazz defeat #8 Grizzlies, 4-1.
#4 Clippers defeat #5 Mavericks, 4-3.
#2 Suns defeat #7 Lakers, 4-2.
#3 Nuggets defeat #6 Blazers, 4-2.

Watch This Play

Devin Booker with a strong jam here. SLAMBOOK.

Congratulations once again to the Phoenix Suns. They await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.

You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.

You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.

R.I.P. Nala.

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