Chris Paul has gotten “near 24/7” treatment on his injured hamstring since he went down during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. He didn’t play on Saturday in Game 6 in Oakland, a game where the Warriors had an extra gear and pulled away in the second half to even the series and force a Game 7.
Paul was originally listed as “questionable” and it seemed inevitable that he would be a last-second addition to the lineup if he were able to go, as the Rockets had little to gain from revealing whether Paul could play or not.
But on Monday, Yahoo’s Shams Charania confirmed Rockets fans’ worst fears: the star guard won’t be able to play in Monday night’s pivotal Game 7.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1001241277608816641
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni addressed the media before Game 7 on Monday and said the team’s medical staff, coaches and Paul himself realized the star point guard wouldn’t be ready to play.
Chris Paul is out tonight for Game 7. "Everybody came to the same conclusion," D'Antoni said. "There's just no way."
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) May 28, 2018
It’s a huge blow to the Rockets, who are simply a more dynamic, speedy team when Paul is in the lineup. Paul has averaged 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 36.7 minutes per game in his first-ever trip to the Conference Finals. And Game 5 will likely go down as his best work, including 18 second-half points where the Rockets truly had some swagger against the defending NBA champions.
Without him, Houston will need a huge game from James Harden and the slack picked up somewhere in the team’s second unit. It’s unfortunate for Paul, for Houston, and for anyone hoping to see an epic clash against the West’s two best teams square off at full health.
