Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul has never had a better chance of reaching the conference finals. The Clippers lead the Western Conference Semifinals 3-1 ahead of Game 5 at Houston Rockets on Wednesday morning here in Africa.
Paul has missed the first two games against Houston due to a left hamstring injury, but in his return to action the All-Star guard inspired the Clippers to two consecutive victories, leaving the Rockets on the brink of elimination in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round.
Although the Clippers have never played in the conference finals, Paul says: “We’ve just got to stay hungry for the game on Tuesday.”
Paul only played 26 minutes in the Game 4 win over the Rockets, but still had 15 points (4-9 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 4-5 FT), four rebounds, 12 assists and a steal.
It seems as if Paul is going to continue to play in this series, as long as his body allows him to.
But one thing is certain for CP3, who has not missed a single game during the regular-season. He dislikes sitting out.
“I realised even further now that I won’t coach, that I can’t coach, because it’s a lot more nerve-racking sitting on the bench than playing. You got a lot more control when you’re playing,” Paul said.
It’s premature to rule out the Rockets in the series, especially as they have not lost three consecutive games all season.
Historically, of all the NBA teams facing a 3-1 deficit in a playoff series in the past, eight have managed to come back to win.
Rockets leading scorer James Harden has a tip to bounce back in the series as Houston is seeking its first trip to the conference finals since 1997. He said: “We’ve got to stay focused on getting stops.”
If the Clippers beat Houston in Game 5, it’ll be their first series victory over the Rockets since 1993. Then Houston won a best-of-five first-round series 3-2.
