As the shorthanded San Antonio Spurs were hanging around with the defending champion Boston Celtics down the stretch, Chris Paul put his team on his shoulders. With 8:17 remaining in the contest and his Spurs threatening to get what had consistently been a 15-point deficit since the third quarter into single digits, the future Hall of Famer hit a jumper that closed the difference to nine.
They would represent the first of 10 points Paul would score over the next three minutes.
ClutchPoints asked the 12-time All-Star if that personal run came within the flow of the game based on what the Celtics were doing defensively or if he made a conscious decision to attack.
“It used to happen a lot more often,” Paul responded as he answered the question. “That was the flow of the game. It's fun to do that.”
Paul had scored only two other points prior to that flurry — none in the first half — and he didn't score again in the 121-111 loss to the second-best team, record-wise, in the Eastern Conference.
“Just trying to to figure out when I can pick my spots for our team as well as pay attention to the game,” the 39-year-old guard added.
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Chris Paul continues to teach off the court as well
Paul's 35 minutes vs. Boston ranked second behind the team's active leading scorer this season, Devin Vassell. The Spurs are finishing out the year without centerpiece Victor Wembanyama and recently acquired star De'Aaron Fox, both out with injuries.
“We've been trying to constantly continue learning the guys,” Paul admitted in discussing the new rotations that come as a result.
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Standout rookie Stephon Castle scored 22 points in helping San Antonio compete with the NBA's defending champions who have perennially been among the league's best for the better part of a decade.
“I talked to Steph a lot, I talked to the guys. These plays and these games against teams like this, you realize the last five minutes are not like the rest of the game,” Paul revealed.
“The offense that you run, the pace that you had for the first three and a half quarters change this close to the end. And that's the benefit of having continuity, guys who know where each other is going to be and that's what we've got to build toward,” the 39-year-old point guard continued.
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) shoots over Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30) in the second half at Frost Bank Center.
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Statistically, the Silver and Black have ranked as a top offense since the All-Star Break, even with the absences of Wemby and Fox. Though the Spurs didn't shoot particularly well vs. the Celtics at 44% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc, that didn't pose their biggest issue.
“Offense has been really good. I think the trust has been something we've had to build on. That's what we're trying to do. There's been a lot of different lineups and what not. The issue has been trying to get timely stops,” Paul concluded.
Accurately noted. Even with his outburst, the Spurs got no closer than eight points in the final five minutes vs. the Celtics. It was just another reminder of the reality for the legendary point guard, who's finishing out his 20th NBA season.