858: Twin Towers Change Formation

Chris Paul did not care what others thought of him. He only wanted to win.

Since entering the league in 2005, Paul had quickly earned the title of "the best point guard" and become one of the league's top ten superstars.

But compared to the others in the top ten, his collection of major accolades was pitifully small.

Durant had already made a trip to the Finals, while Link already had two championship rings in hand.

Yet Chris Paul, a man people always ranked so highly, had never even played in the Conference Finals!

Paul had thought that coming to Los Angeles would bring him closer to glory. But everything was no different from his time in New Orleans.

This was already his ninth year in the league. How many nine-year stretches did a player have in his career?

Paul knew that he was only getting older, and his final peak would last just these few years.

If he could not fight his way into the Conference Finals—or even the Finals—during that time, he would very likely become a ringless superstar like John Stockton.

That was certainly not the outcome Paul wanted. For someone with such an intense desire to win, having no NBA championship was unacceptable.

So, at this critical moment when the Clippers were "stranded," Paul chose to put victory above all else.

As long as they could defeat the Grizzlies, the Clippers still had hope. That was all Paul cared about.

He did not care whether Link was truly injured, nor did he care what the fans thought of him.

He only knew that the Clippers were up by eight. That was a fact!

"Chris, keep assisting our big men in the second quarter, but increase your one-on-one offense too. We need to blow this game open