Even if he loses in the NBA Finals this year, no one could argue that Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards in the history of basketball. A ring is the only thing missing on his flawless résumé as an all-time great, and he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer nonetheless.
That’s why so many fans were rooting for him to win a ring with the Phoenix Suns this season. And, with the Suns up 2-0 in the series, some believed that it was just a matter of time before he finally got his.
But Paul has been all over the place over the past couple of games and the Bucks have now evened up the series, so Richard Jefferson believes that he may be getting a little nervous at this point:
“My first year in San Antonio, we played against Jason Kidd and he was with Dallas. They were the #2 seed, and Jason Kidd was an older point guard, very similar,” Jefferson said on The Dan Patrick Show. You would never dare pick up Chris Paul. You would never dare pick up Jason Kidd. But, once you pick those guys up because a lot of times you give them that respect. But, once you pick them up, they view it as disrespect, but they don’t have the same motor at 32 and at 28.
“So now all of a sudden you see them wearing down. And, what’s so crazy is he’s wearing down with 2 days rest. We’re gonna say wearing down because God knows we don’t wanna say is Chris Paul getting nervous? Is Chris Paul squeezing on too tight?” Jefferson concluded.
Maybe Paul is – indeed – nervous. It happens to the best of us. But what’s clear is that the Suns won’t be able to pull this off without their all-time great point guard leading the way.
