It is not the worst news in the world but it could definitely be an issue going forward for the Clippers. ESPN reported today that Chris Paul will not be active for Game 1 against James Harden and the Houston Rockets after injuring his hamstring in the epic game 7 against the Spurs. Click more to read the full story!
Chris Paul led his squad to the second round in epic fashion by banking a jumper off the glass over Danny Green and Tim Duncan and left one second the game clock. Unfortunately though, he did this after suffering a hamstring injury early in the first half of the game that caused him to head back to the locker room.
What does this mean for the Clippers? Well not too much, actually–depending on how long he will be out. With CP3 being ruled out for game 1, this gives Doc Rivers a chance to tweak his rotation and see if there are any other guards ready to step up. If it works out, thats great because Doc will know he can rely on the back up for when Chris Paul gets worn. However, if Chris Paul is out for game 2, then the Clippers would be entering very dangerous territory.
Harden, who recently lost the MVP race, will definitely have some fire under his game and is looking for any opportunity to expose the Clippers’ defense. If it happens to be that CP3 is ruled out for an extended period of time, then it is pretty much over at that point. Who will strap James Harden and contain him when it is needed. Not too many can do that job, but CP3 is definitely over qualified. We’ll definitely be watching for any developments concerning CP3’s health. Lets hope he can make it back though, the series will not be the same without him.
Source: ESPN
