“Nobody Expected Us to be Here”: Chris Paul Shuts Down Doubters of OKC and Himself

Having a veteran to lead is always good for a young team. Chris Paul is doing just that for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Young players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, Terrance Ferguson, and Hamidou Diallo have a lot to learn from the 14 years of experience CP3 has.

With the playoffs approaching, a lot of the younger guys have bare minimum experience of it. So after their win against the Lakers last night, Taylor Rooks asked Paul about what he tells the guys about playoffs. Paul said, “They probably get tired of me talking about it. Because one of the things you learn about the playoffs, what every team is trying to build even in the regular season, is to make sure you have a team that feels they can’t be beaten four out of seven times.”

“The best teams know that you can be beaten on a Tuesday night in January or on Thursday night in July. But they know they can’t be beaten four out of seven times. So we’re just trying to build that identity and get ready for the playoffs.”

Chris Paul: Leading by example

Despite having no success in the playoffs, Paul has consistently taken his team to the postseason. The last time he missed it was back in 2010. So when ESPN gave the Thunder a 0.2% chance to make the playoffs, Paul would have taken it personally. “We put in a lot of work to get ready for this,” said Paul who seemed proud of his team. “I think that’s the dopest part about my team. Nobody expected us to be here. 0.2%!”

Paul was also asked about the team’s poor turnover numbers. But he took the responsibility for it. “Tell you the truth, it’s a me factor,” he said. “I’m the one leading the team in turnovers. I had a few tonight. I got to make better decisions. If I’m gonna have the ball in my hand as much as I do I gotta take care of the ball more.”

The Point God may be past his prime, but his spirited performances with the Thunder, saw him make the All-Star game for the first time since 2016. He also has a crazy record this season. From October to August, his points per game and FG% have risen every single month. From 14.8 PPG and 43.4 FG% in October, he is now at 20.7 PPG and 57.5 FG% in August.

CP3 and the Thunder now play the Grizzlies next and will hope to pile on to their misery, with the Memphis young unit going 0-4 so far.

Sources:

Chris Paul Postgame Interview | Thunder vs Lakers | August 5, 2020

StatMuse on Twitter

Chris Paul on Basketball Reference