2018 NBA Playoffs: Houston Rockets vs. Utah Jazz preview

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2. Can Chris Paul overcome his playoff demons?

Despite a career that will surely get him into the Hall-of-Fame one day, there is still one achievement that has eluded Chris Paul throughout his previous 12 seasons in the NBA.

While an NBA championship is the obvious answer, Paul has still never been to the conference finals despite 81 games on his postseason resume — the most by any player without an appearance in the conference finals.

The opportunities were there, including a Game 7 defeat at home by the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in 2008, and an epic collapse in 2015 against the Rockets after building a 3-1 lead in the series and a double-digit lead in Game 6.

On a team that no longer rides or dies with his performance, Paul has arguably his best shot to exorcise the ghosts of playoffs past, but with that comes the added pressure of making sure it gets done.

Should the Rockets lose this series, an avalanche of criticism will crash down on CP3, with many questioning his true abilities as a leader and a winner.

While the odds are heavily in his favor, it’ll be interesting to watch for any extra motivation out of Paul as the series progresses, as well as when the games get tight in crunch time.