Having Chris Paul on your roster is the difference between winning and losing games like this. CP3 led the Clippers with 24 points and nine assists, and he took over in the final minutes to lead Los Angeles to a 93-91 win in Game 2 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Paul got the ball with seven seconds left on the team’s final possession. He was being guarded by the notoriously difficult defender Tony Allen by the top of the circle. He made a move to the basket, pushed off Allen, and then threw up a shot despite Allen and Darrell Arthur putting hands in his face. Somehow the difficult shot went off the glass at the buzzer to win the game.
In addition to the winning shot, Paul broke an 89-89 tie a minute earlier with another difficult shot, and he made jumpers on previous possessions to increase the Clippers’ lead. In all, CP3 accounted for the Clippers’ final eight points.
CP3 is known for being an excellent distributor, but his greatest asset is knowing what he needs to do to help his team win. On Monday, he realized his team needed him to score and he delivered. What a game. And based on the way Game 2 went, would anyone be surprised if Memphis evened the series at home?
The best part of Paul’s winning shot was his reaction. While everyone was celebrating like they had won the series, Paul seemed to shrug it off as if he knew the team still had many more difficult games ahead. How can you not love the focus?
