Utah Jazz: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. Rockets
3. Chris Paul would not lose Game 5
86th time’s the charm, right?
After years and years of constant playoff failure, including the most playoff games without an conference finals appearance, Chris Paul had the chance to get there for the first time in his Hall-of-Fame career in Game 5. He would not leave anything to chance.
Paul finished with a playoff career-high 41 points on 13-for-22 shooting, highlighted by 20 in the final frame with 13 straight to finish the job.
With 10 assists, seven rebounds, eight 3-pointers and zero turnovers in 37 minutes, CP3 rose to the occasion to rid himself of the monkey that’s been on his back for years.
Chris Paul is the 1st player to have 40 points, 10 assists, and 0 turnovers in a playoff game since turnovers became an official stat in 1977-78. #SCFacts (via @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/A2mUMiyblL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 9, 2018
When it comes to superstars of Paul’s stature, defenses can try to limit them as much as possible, but more often than not, the superstar will find a way to get whatever they want on the offensive end.
Normally a great defensive squad, Utah actually did a fairly good job of making things difficult for Paul, but with a chance to right the wrongs of playoff pasts, the defense simply wouldn’t matter against CP3 on that night.