Houston Rockets: 3 takeaways from Game 5 vs. Warriors

2. Chris Paul shows that he is clutch

After scoring only just two points in the opening half, Chris Paul managed to silence his critics yet again with his play in the second half, returning to the floor in full-out attack mode and refusing to let the Western Conference Finals stage send him aback. The nine-time All-Star showed exactly why the Rockets sought to acquire him in a blockbuster trade last offseason.

In the third quarter of Game 5, Paul poured in 11 of his 20 points on the night, and sought to constantly exploit forward Kevon Looney and the rest of Golden State’s vaulted defense on multiple occassions when seeking to create in one-on-one circumstances and terrorize mismatches.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/999838875265708033

"“What he did was remarkable,” D’Antoni said when asked about Paul’s second half heroics. “When we were kind of teetering, he made two or three [3-pointers]…that’s just his heart.” “He made something out of nothing…I don’t know how many times everybody has got to see it in the league, but he’s one of the best players to play the game.”"

Although his official status for Game 6 has yet to be determined, the future Hall-of-Fame floor general has shown that he can perform on the biggest stage of his career thus far with his stellar play over the past two games.

Paul has suffered through countless playoff pains and heartbreak throughout his career, and is now doing everything in his power to try and exorcise the demons of postseason’s past. Here’s hoping that hamstring gives him the chance in Game 6.