Is Revenge too Much of a Motive for Paul?
Two games into the Western Confonfernce Quarterfinals and already the Thunder are looking spent. And it's not because the Rockets are pushing the tempo or scoring in bunches.
No, the Thunder looks emotionally drained, especially Chris Paul. Over the last few days, Paul has not seemed himself. Not that you want to read too much into what you see in media sessions, but the usually talkative paul has been short with his answers even when being lobbed softballs.
Paul was asked about the experience of having to see his first-round opponent every day in the Grand Floridian. His response quick and to the point. "Everybody at your hotel, you see em daily.".."That's part of the experience, and yeah."
Paul is one of the most insightful people in the association, from the style of play to social issues; he's not one to back away from what's on his mind. He's a reporter's dream; however, since game one, you wonder if facing the team that sent him to Oklahoma City is starting to weigh too heavy.
Houston outscored the Thunder by 36 when Paul was on the court in game two, which is the lowest plus-minus of his 15-year career. During postgame, the Thunder's leader shouldered the load for his team.
"I gotta do more." While that may be true, so do the rest of his teammates. The 17-0 Run the Rocket wen on at the start of the fourth quarter was everyone's fault. Even the best player on the floor can't be expected to slow a whole team down.
Paul won't specify what about his game he didn't like on Thursday he'll just say "It's a lot, it's a lot, I'll go back and look at the film, but I know what it is, it's a lot."
Billy Donovan says it's not up to Paul the whole team has to be better.
"I think a large part of the season we've had up to this point in time is because of Chris."..."I think that's what makes great players great players is they all look inside first, and I think we all need to look inside first."
Everyone would love to stick to a former boss that told you you weren't good enough to work someplace anymore (believe me, I know). However, you can get wrapped up in revenge and forget to look at the big picture.
Winning this series isn't about beating the Rockets, it's about advancing to the second round. Paul must forget about what happened last Summer and do what he's done all season long. Lead the Thunder to a win.
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With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa.
