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Chris Paul Explains 'Unfinished Business' With 11x NBA All-Star

The Los Angeles Clippers' newest guard explains his re-connection with a former teammate
Grant Mona|
Dec 19, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) dribbles against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Rockets won 107 to 97. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) dribbles against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Rockets won 107 to 97. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas B. Shea-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles ClippersHouston Rockets

In the Golden State Warriors' championship era with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant, there were very few teams that were able to challenge them.

The Houston Rockets were the closest to knocking off one of the most talented teams in NBA history.

With James Harden and Dwight Howard together, the Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals in 2015, but fell to the eventual champion Warriors in their first title of a massive run.

Then, after the Los Angeles Clippers failed to get to the Western Conference Finals in their seasons with superstars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, they traded Paul to the Rockets in 2017 for a massive depth package.

The Harden and CP3 Duo

From 2017 to 2019, the Rockets had a combined regular-season record of 118-46, good for a .720 winning percentage and a playoff record of 15-11 overall.

The team finished with their best record in franchise history at 65-17 in the 2017-18 season, securing the top seed in the Western Conference over the superteam Warriors.

After advancing to the Western Conference Finals that season, they lost in seven games, where Chris Paul suffered a hamstring injury in Game 5 of the series, which derailed their chances at upsetting the vaunted Golden State team with Kevin Durant.

The following season, it was more of the same. Houston had a team that could go toe-to-toe with the Warriors, and MVP James Harden had his best season. The Rockets finished 53-29, earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference, but were eliminated once again by the Warriors, this time in the Conference Semifinals, in six games.

Harden and Paul Reunite Years Later

Not many thought that Harden and Paul would reunite six years later, but with James Harden back to being an All-Star and Chris Paul coming back home to Los Angeles to play with the Clippers, the two will have a chance at redemption.

Paul spoke candidly about reuniting with Harden later in their careers and their plans for the upcoming season in his introductory press conference.

"Yeah, we talked about it and talked about just the history of obviously being there in Houston. And it's funny man, for that clip that goes around, there was a lot of stuff, funnier stuff than that, that was just sort of our relationship.... We got on each other in different situations, but that team, I can honestly say it was one of the [most fun] teams I've ever been on in my career," Paul said.

Paul and Harden had a chance to knock off the Warriors in Houston, but missed 27 consecutive three-point shots in Game 7 in 2018.

"And James [Harden] is one of those guys that loves to be in the gym all day long, and so it's wild that you get this opportunity again after those two years and the success that we had and we definitely know we have unfinished business, so we'll get a chance to see what's going on here," Paul added.

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Grant Mona
GRANT MONA

Grant Mona is a multimedia sports journalist based in Los Angeles, covering multiple teams. He is a co-host and producer on The Sporting Tribune Today on The BET Las Vegas, KIRN 670 in Southern California and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network. He formerly played baseball with the University of the Pacific Tigers.

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