There’s more than what meets the eye when it comes to the Chris Paul-Kawhi Leonard shoulder bump that sparked a debate on social media.
NBA insider Chris Haynes shed light on the whole reported beef, saying, “I personally witnessed this “exchange” up close. Chris Paul gave Kawhi Leonard a pat on the midsection and Leonard slapped Paul’s leg. The bump was accidental. Those two are good.”
For those unaware, it appeared that the duo bumped into each other, with Paul walking off with a stern look on his face, prompting Twitterati to believe that all wasn’t well between the two players after the Suns’ comeback 123-109 win.
I personally witnessed this “exchange” up close. Chris Paul gave Kawhi Leonard a pat on the midsection and Leonard slapped Paul’s leg. The bump was accidental. Those two are good. pic.twitter.com/Zsz2ezaZlA
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) April 19, 2023
There is no doubt that the skirmish between these two teams comes with a fair share of history. But there was simply inexplicable that Kawhi would feud with any player for no reason. And Haynes’ statement simply confirms that the forward isn’t necessarily beefing with Paul.
On the game front, Kawhi continued his consistent production, notching up 31 points, while Paul had 16 to his name. The Suns have now equalized the series making sure they never gave the Clippers an extra inch to get ahead.
The Suns vs. Clippers Contest Is Far From Becoming A One-Sided Affair
Whoever the final winner is between the Suns and the Clippers, the series is far from being an easy job for either team filled with proven matchwinners. While Phoenix came in as a firm favorite, they were in for a rude awakening after Kawhi and Russell Westbrook took charge.
The duo filled in admirably in Paul George’s absence in the second game as well but were outplayed by Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Game 3 will surely see more fireworks between the two teams, especially former Oklahoma City Thunder mates, Westbrook and Durant — at least on the floor, if not off of it.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was still optimistic about the team winning the series. “I feel good. I feel good with where we’re at,” Lue said to the media after the loss.
“Our guys are gonna keep competing and keep scrapping. We think we can win this series. That’s the biggest thing. One-hundred percent of the battle is believing. We believe we can do it. I think [we need to] clean up some things a little differently. Like I said, I like where we’re at, I like what we did tonight.”
The second game may have gone the Suns’ way, but safe to say this series is all set to go down to the wire.
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