Getty Chris Paul #3 of the Golden State Warriors shoots over Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns.
Chris Paul got his first C-P-3 chant from the Golden State Warriors fans when he got hot with 10 points in the third quarter.
Though his Warriors debut ended with a narrow 108-104 loss to his former team, Phoenix Suns, Paul would rather dwell on the silver linings.
“Yeah, it was [surreal moment],” Paul told reporters after his first official game in a Warriors jersey. “Dario looked at me and started laughing, and I couldn’t help but laugh. That was a first.”
It could be the first of many more C-P-3 chants and ovations as the 38-year-old future Hall-of-Famer turned in a near-double-double performance.
Paul finished with 14 points and nine assists against only a single turnover. He was a plus-5 during his 34-minute floor time as he organized and directed traffic for the sometimes chaotic Warriors offense.
“This is our first regular season game, so [we’re] just figuring it out on the fly,” Paul said. “I think with more games, we’ll get more comfortable.”
They looked really comfortable in the third quarter when they exploded for 40 points, outscoring the Suns by 19 to turn a 15-point halftime deficit into a six-point lead.
After Curry picked up his fourth foul with over seven minutes left in the third quarter, Paul took over. He pumped in 10 in a 15-6 run that changed the game’s tide.
However, the Suns would not be denied. They embarked on an 11-0 run after the Warriors’ opening basket in the fourth quarter to retake the lead.
Chris Paul Enjoys Freedom in Warriors Offense
The Warriors fell short. But Paul gleaned many positives, like how much space he got off playing with Stephen Curry, the NBA’s greatest shooter.
“I’m just excited to tell you the truth,” Paul said. “There were a lot of good things we did, a lot of not-so-great things, but the freedom — the pull-up 3s that I got a chance to shoot.”
Paul, though, failed to cash in those opportunities, missing all his six 3-point field goal attempts. Chalk it up to opening night jitters.
“When you’re playing with know guys that shoot as good as Stephen Curry consistently, I think the more games you just get, the more comfortable you get of being aggressive, finding that balance.”
Steve Kerr Points Out Warriors’ Glaring Weakness
Paul gave the Warriors another ball-handler and playmaker. But the Warriors failed to address their lack of size and athleticism in the offseason.
It reared its ugly head in its fourth-quarter collapse.
“Their (Suns) offensive rebounds were killers,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters postgame.
The Warriors lost an 88-80 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. The Suns suddenly got red-hot, fueled by their offensive rebounding. An 11-0 run wiped out the Warriors lead. During that attack, the Suns had five second-chance points on three offensive rebounds to briefly take a 91-88 lead.
Phoenix outrebounded Golden State 60-49. While the Warriors grabbed one more offensive rebound, 18-17, the Suns delivered when it mattered.
In the decisive fourth quarter, the Suns grabbed six offensive boards and had 10 second-chance points. It was enough to overhaul the Warrior’s lead and fend off their last-ditch rally.