After falling in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifnals on Sunday night, Suns guard Chris Paul told reporters after the game he has no intention of retiring.
“You play long enough and you don’t win, every time you lose, they’re going to say it was your best chance. But I think for me, us, it’s we’ll be right back next year. I’ll tell you that much. I’m not retiring tomorrow, thank God. Hopefully, I’m healthy coming back. But I’m going to keep playing,” Paul said in the postgame press conference.
Paul, 37, had a stellar first two games of the series, averaging 23.5 points per game. However, as the Suns lost four out of the final five games to the Mavericks, Paul averaged just 9.4 points per game and turned it over an average of 3.6 times per contest. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on Sunday that Paul suffered a left quad injury that made his mobility difficult late in the series.
As far as what went wrong in Game 7 specifically, where the Suns were listless from the start in an embarrassing home blowout, Paul took a brunt of the blame upon himself for the defeat.
“I think we just came out and didn’t have enough. I think [Monty Williams] said that’s on him, but I think that’s on me, as the point guard, the leader of the team to come out and make sure you’re getting the right shots and all that.”
The Suns trailed by 30 at halftime, which was the largest halftime deficit in Game 7 history. The Suns ultimately lost the game 123–90.
As for the Mavericks, they now advance to take on the Warriors. Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals is Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on TNT.
