Just when you think Chris Paul might have reached his limit and that the L.A. Clippers have reached their peak as a team, he finds a way to keep the magic going just a little bit longer. On Friday night, he was absolutely sensational again.CP3 was the driving force behind the Los Angeles Clippers’ 98-93 win and now they will play Game 7 on their home floor for the chance to make the second round. The major efforts to salvage their series against the Utah Jazz stops and starts with the play of their point guard.Even with his stellar play, the team was still very tense at a 3-2 deficit heading back to Salt Lake City for Game 6. The Clipshow seemed to wake up and the bench players like Austin Rivers, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute and even Paul Pierce chipped in to help.Speaking of Pierce, who has made it no real secret that this will be his last season in an NBA uniform, he was a catalyst for a crucial moment down the stretch. The lead was beginning to slip for L.A. and CP walked over to his teammate and said something truly inspiring.The Point Guard offered: “You’re not ending your career in Utah.”Such a sentiment probably meant a lot to the 19-year veteran who has seen both his playing time and on-court effectiveness wane over the last two seasons. 2016 and 2017 probably haven’t panned out like he thought that they would.
Earlier in his career, he was the leader of the Boston Celtics before Kevin Garnett arrived in 2007 and was a part of the only Celtics championship team in the modern era. He claimed a Finals MVP award in 2008.
After that, he went to Brooklyn and helped them gain relevancy, which was followed by a stop in Washington for a year. His hired gun stint there is a large part of why he even signed with the Clippers in the first place.
In clutch situations all throughout the 2015 Playoffs he consistently delivered in the U.S. capital city. Pierce was supposed to bring the same sort of play in his hometown, but it hasn’t materialised as Father Time has been on his heels the entire way.
Luckily for him, he has Paul on his team and he was adamant that they were going back to the Staples Center for at least a Game 7. The Point God ended the game with 29 points on 20 shots and eight assists to bring his squad back from the brink in Utah.
Now he will need to do the same if Los Angeles has any chance of moving on to the next round. Still, on Friday, he kept his promise and that is something that Pierce will be grateful for long after he stops playing.