Sixteen-year veteran Chris Paul has finally reached his first NBA Finals after inspiring the Phoenix Suns to a 130-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
The heated victory secured a 4-2 series win, meaning the Suns qualified for their first NBA Finals since the Charles Barkley-led team in 1993.
And they certainly had Paul to thank for that. The 36-year-old scored 41 points while recording eight assists and three steals. Fellow Suns guard Devin Booker also added 22 points.
“We still got a lot of work to do, but we’re going to enjoy this,” Paul said after the game.
“Sixteen years, surgeries, hard work, losses, bad losses, but we’re going to enjoy tonight.”
The 11-time All Star has won two Olympic gold medals in his career but winning the Larry O’Brien trophy has long been missing from Paul’s glittering resume.
His fifth team, the Suns, will now face either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Atlanta Hawks in the Finals.
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Beverley ejected
Wednesday’s game was somewhat marred by an ugly incident in the closing stages when Clippers guard Patrick Beverley shoved Paul to the ground from behind.
The pair had brushed past each other on their way back to their respective benches for a timeout in the final quarter before Beverely snapped, following Paul and pushing him in the back.
After viewing the footage, officials quickly ejected Beverley from the court.
