With James Harden having a bad game, Chris Paul had to carry the load for the Houston Rockets to close out the Utah Jazz in Game 5. And for all his efforts, he did a Michael Jordan along the way.
According to ESPN, Paul joins Jordan as the only players with at least 40 points and 10 assists in a series-clincher in NBA playoff history.
According to @EliasSports, Chris Paul’s performance tonight is just the 2nd 40-10 game in a series-clincher in NBA playoff history.
The only other guy to do it had a pretty decent career pic.twitter.com/9gTCpLzHat
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 9, 2018
The difference between them is that Paul didn’t register a single turnover. Jordan, for his part, had six. But statistics aside, this is the first time for Paul to advance to a conference finals.
He did it in convincing fashion while his fellow superstar Harden was struggling. Harden himself commented on Paul’s competitive spirit and immense love for the game. Per Shaun Powell of NBA.com:
“… If I’m at home and if it’s an off night, he’ll call me and say, ‘Hey, did you see the game, are you watching the game?’ He loves basketball … Every day I learn something from him.”
Rockets Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler also shared his thoughts on Paul:
“He’s tremendous to James, who has another guy he respects and can depend on. Chris can give him a rest off the ball and when that happens we don’t lose the lead; the lead goes up.”
Paul and company are now waiting for their next opponent. It will either be the mighty Golden State Warriors or the up and coming New Orleans Pelicans.
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