The Phoenix Suns dropped game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks by the score of 123-90. The final score doesn’t show how awful the Suns played. In fact they scored a total of 10 points in the 2nd quarter. With the loss, questions are swirling about Chris Paul’s future. Paul has said he will be back, but should he?
Paul will be in the Basketball Hall of Fame once his NBA playing days are over. The only thing missing on his resume is an NBA Championship ring. Last year, the Suns advanced all the way to the NBA Finals and faced the Milwaukee Bucks. It looked like the Suns were well on their way to winning the title, up 2-0. Unfortunately, they lost 4 straight games and the Bucks won the series 4-2.
This year the Suns were on a mission to finally get over the hump and win a championship with Paul. They had the NBA’s best record at 64-18. Paul played well in the regular season. He averaged 14.7 points and 10.8 assists per game. Paul was the leader for this team. Of course, the playoffs are what mattered.
The Suns were the #1 seed in the Western Conference. In the first-round, they beat New Orleans in 6 games. Against Dallas in the second-round, they held 2-0 and 3-2 series leads. Dallas, though, ended up winning the series in 7 games. In the postseason, Paul scored 17.5 points and added 8.3 assists per game. In the deciding game of the Dallas series, Paul didn’t play well. He ended with just 10 points and 4 assists.
Paul said he is not done playing yet. According to ESPN.com, Paul said, “You play long enough and you don’t win, every time you lose, they’re going to say it was your best chance. But I think for me, us, it’s we’ll be right back next year. I’ll tell you that much. I’m not retiring tomorrow, thank God. Hopefully, I’m healthy coming back. But I’m (going to) keep playing.” Paul might want to think about hanging up his sneakers. He is 37 years old. Paul knows he is one of the best point guards to ever play the NBA game. There is no guaranteed that if Paul plays next season, the Suns are going to have the best record in the NBA and advance to the NBA finals. Paul is going to do what is best for him. He is under contract with the Suns for the next 3 years but they may not even win a ring in that time. Father time is catching up to him. What happens if they are eliminated yet again next year? Paul might have different feelings. For now, Paul is going to try to chase a ring next year.
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