After watching the Los Angeles Clippers' inconceivable comeback in Game 4 to avoid a 3-1 hole, I felt that the Oklahoma City Thunder may take another game. However, the Clippers with their superior coaching, superior bench and superior point guard play would be too much for the Thunder in the next few games.
Then Games 5 and 6 happened and I was at a loss of words of how this Clippers team blew double digit leads in consecutive games and seemed to self-destruct in the closing minutes of both games. Chris Paul turned the ball over twice, fouled a three-point shooter and refused to foul with over a second left in Game 5. Viewers were at a loss of words at how the "point god" imploded in such a crucial moment.
Not to be outdone, Blake Griffin promptly fouled out in Game 6 by charging into Kevin Durant then whacking Russell Westbrook on the head, and still wondering where the foul was. Head coach Doc Rivers felt the Clippers were robbed in Game 5, though his only plausible gripe was the Reggie Jackson hack on Paul in the closing seconds.
Blame will surely be placed upon Paul for again failing to reach the conference finals, but how much blame is fair? He did put up a 22-3-12 for the series on 51 percent shooting and 45 percent from three, but Westbrook, albeit an enigma, was absolutely dominant at times with a 28-6-9 that would have made LeBron James or Larry Bird smile.
To make an analogy of the two, Chris Paul is the basketball Peyton Manning. Acclaimed for his awareness and execution at the hardest position of their respective sports and often receive too little or too much of the blame. Westbrook is more of a Brett Favre in that you love his enthusiasm and willingness to take risks, but watching him when he's on your favorite team can be extremely nerve wrecking.
This series, Paul did have his moments such as Game 1 and the fourth quarter of Game 4, but Westbrook seems to be the only point guard in the world who can play CP3 to at least a draw every time. Although Paul got outplayed by Westbrook, how bad is it to get outplayed by a top 10 player who is capable of doing things at the point guard position only 2011 Derrick Rose could?
Sure, Dwight Howard doesn't get a pass and he led a team to the NBA Finals with Hedo Turkoglu as the next best player. Carmelo Anthony has at least reached the conference finals, but what more could he do? The last time a team won a championship with a point guard clearly as their best player was the 1990 Detroit Pistons led by Isiah Thomas.
We've seen dominant wings and big men win titles as the alpha dog, but can the Clippers win with Paul as their best player? In my opinion, he's the third best player in the league, but it might be the farthest the Clippers will go if Blake Griffin is not their best player.
Many picked the Clippers to win due to their depth, but when Durant and Westbrook are putting up 60 combined a game and your role players like Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford both shoot under 40 percent, you have your work cut out for you. Save for the fourth quarter in Game 4, because Darren Collision had a forgettable series also along with the rest of the Clipper roles players except for J.J. Redick.
Although they have more depth at the bottom of the roster having Jared Dudley, Danny Granger and Matt Barnes to try to limit Durant, it is not gonna work anytime in the foreseeable future. I already discussed how Paul cannot guard Westbrook. Only Granger's contract expires next year.
So with that said, unless they pull a trade for athletic wings who can hit open threes, their best bet is to pray they don't play the Thunder next year at all in the postseason.
