Why Chris Paul's NBA Finals performance has been better than advertised
After three straight losses, the Phoenix Suns are on the brink of elimination for the first time this postseason.
The player most under the microscope for the Suns, heading into a do-or-die Game 6, is veteran superstar Chris Paul.
The Suns haven't lost four straight games at any point this season, but with reality staring them in the face, the consensus opinion is that Paul needs to be better for his team to have a chance to force a Game 7 back in Phoenix.
After an impressive start to his first NBA Finals, with scoring outbursts of 32 and 23 points in the first two games of the series – which led Phoenix to a 2-0 lead – Paul's play has been a bit uneven the past three games, all Suns losses.
Most notably, the "Point God" has been uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at times, turning the rock over 18 times through five games this series after committing just 22 turnovers in the first three rounds of the playoffs.
He has been so unsteady that in the wake of the Suns' Game 5 loss, one reporter asked a teammate if he felt for Paul.
CP3 didn't like that.
With Paul clearly looking out of sorts, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins noted on "The Jump" that he needs to get his swagger back.
"I'm looking at his body language, I'm looking at his energy, and this is not the CP3 that this Phoenix Suns team needs," he said.
The latest memorable moment involving Paul came when he committed a foul to send Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to the free-throw line late in Game 5 with Phoenix down just three points.
The Suns never got another chance to tie the game, as they failed to secure the rebound off the missed Giannis free throw and Khris Middleton sunk one of two free throws to move Milwaukee's lead to four moments later.
With that, Max Kellerman explained on ESPN's "First Take" why Game 6 is officially a legacy game for Paul.
"It was boneheaded on so many levels, and to occur in that situation, in that moment, was unreal to me," he said.
But while Paul has fallen subject to much scrutiny, as the Bucks have stolen the momentum, the numbers still say that Paul is performing at a high level.
Paul has shot at least 50% from the field in four of five games this series, with Game 4 the only blemish – he shot 38% from the field that night.
In addition, for the series, he is averaging 21.0 points and 8.8 assists while shooting 53.8% from the field and 48.4% from 3-point range.
Those numbers are up across the board compared to his regular-season averages of 16.4 points on 49.9% shooting from the field and 39.5% shooting from 3-point range, which were good enough to earn him All-Star and All-NBA honors.
His 19.8 player efficiency rating ranks fourth in the series and is higher than that of any Bucks player not named Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Is it possible that the reports of Paul's demise have been somewhat exaggerated?
Either way, with the Suns' season on the line in Game 6, they will need a vintage performance from Paul, potentially one that exceeds his already impressive numbers. And with a 21-point, 11-assist performance in Game 5, there are signs that he is headed in that direction after an abysmal Game 4 outing.
For their sake, the Suns should hope so.
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