Chris paul, who at 36 will play with the Phoenix Suns jersey his first NBA Finals, assured that he is proud not only of this individual achievement but also of what his entire team has achieved.
“I wanted this not just for myself but for everyone in the locker room.”he told the media after qualifying for the Finals.
Paul, with an excellent performance of 41 points and 8 assists, destroyed the Los Angeles Clippers (103-130) on Wednesday at home and led the Suns to their first Finals since 1993.
The Suns, who have never won the champion ring, they won the Western Conference final 4-2 against the heroic Clippers, who have played since mid-June without star Kawhi Leonard due to injury.
Those from Phoenix (USA) will face the winner of the Eastern Conference final, played by the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, which is going 3-2.
Paul, who played from 2011 to 2017 for the Clippers, admitted at the post-game press conference that it was “special” to face his former team.
The veteran player, who did not play the first two games of the West final due to the coronavirus protocol, said he was “happy” and “proud” of his Suns and noted that throughout the season he has had an “incredible” team around him.
He also referred to the numerous frictions, crashes and sparks that jumped between the Clippers and the Suns.
“If we do what we have to do, in the end the one who laughs last is me”, summarized.
Paul, one of the most important NBA players in the 21st century, seemed to have a curse since he had never played a Finals.
In this sense, the base remembered a detail that was very marked.
In 2018, Paul played for the Houston Rockets, who beat the Golden State Warriors 3-2 in the Western Conference final, and saw the commemorative shirts and caps in case they qualified to the NBA Finals.
However, he never got to wear either the shirt or the cap as the Warriors came back from the series.
“I never forgot that, I never forgot that”he assured tonight.
Asked if after so many injuries and so many misfortunes in the qualifying rounds it ever crossed his mind that he would never play in the Finals, Paul answered curtly no and said that the only thing he was clear about was that he had to work hard to make that dream come true. .