I wrote an article over a month ago calling for Chris Paul to be named the Most Valuable Player. Paul finished the season fifth in MVP voting. As for the award winner, Nikola Jokic, Paul and the Suns sent them home in four games. In Game 4 they got in Jokic’s head and rattled this season’s MVP so much so he got himself tossed out of the game in the third quarter. Phoenix, who has not been in the playoffs for over a decade, is now just four wins away from being in the NBA Finals.
It all sounds too perfect right? If you’ve been watching this year’s NBA playoffs you know every team has had struggles keeping their players on the floor. Sadly, the Suns are the latest team to possibly be without their star player. This morning, The Athletic announced that Paul would be entering Covid-19 health and safety protocol and forced to quarantine. The quarantine is currently for an undisclosed time period, but could be shorter if Paul received a vaccine.
It’s a crushing loss for Paul personally who has always come up short in his career. Never reaching the NBA Finals, this seemed like a season destined for Paul to finally achieve that goal. Paul has been incredible in the playoffs especially in crunch time.
Not only has he been scoring at a higher rate, but it’s his efficiency. Everything he does seems to have a purpose and the right move. He’s not forcing shots and more importantly, he’s not turning the ball over. For his 41 assists in the Denver series, he only had five turnovers.
This is a huge blow for a red hot Suns team. Hopefully, he remains healthy and will be back on the court for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
