Los Angeles Clippers: 5 Takeaways As Clippers Force Game 7
1. The Continued Brilliance of Chris Paul
Chris Paul once again carried the Clippers to victory with a masterful performance. He ended the night with 29 points on 20 shots. He also dished out eight assists and played his usual excellent defense at the point of attack.
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There are not many superlatives for Paul that are adequate to describe his performance in this series. Despite missing the team’s second option on offense, Paul continues to plug away and keep the Clippers in the series. Although he did have a couple of bad turnovers late, something unusual for the least turnover-prone point guard in the league, few could doubt his dominance in this game.
Paul is averaging 27.3 points and 10.0 assists through six games in this series. He is also averaging two steals per game and continues to be the best guard defender on either team in this series.
As has been the case many times before in his career, the Clippers’ chances of victory and advancing to the second round rest squarely on the shoulders of Chris Paul. As he has shown time and time again, he is up to the challenge. Chris Paul is fourth all-time in Win Shares per 48 minutes in the playoffs, per Basketball-Reference.
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The Clippers will need to bring everything they have to Sunday’s game in Los Angeles to win this series. Luckily for them, their best player has a history of great playoff performances behind him. Chris Paul will have to carry the Clippers to victory in Game 7, and he has proven countless times already that he is up to the task.