The CP3 Effect Brings Phoenix to the West Finals

The last time the Phoenix Suns reached the Western Conference Finals was in 2010. That team had Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, and Grant Hill. Unfortunately, they lost to the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Eleven years later, the Suns rose again to the Western Conference Finals after surprisingly sweeping the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference semifinals. Like that Phoenix squad that made it to the West Finals before, this current squad has another great point guard: Chris Paul.

After averaging 16 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and 1.4 steals during the regular season, Chris Paul's numbers jumped during the 2021 playoffs. While his scoring took a dip against the injury-plagued Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, it spiked up in the series against a team that has the new Most Valuable Player awardee in Nikola Jokic.

CP3 finished with 21 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, and a steal to open the series. Game Two saw him dishing out 15 assists to go along with 17 points on 60% field goal shooting. He took it to the next level in Game Three in Denver, where he scored 27 points to compliment Devin Booker's 28-point outing.

Game Four came with Phoenix gunning for the sweep.

Again, it was Chris Paul who shone the brightest.

This time around, he led the team in scoring 37 points on 14 for 19 field goal shooting. He also had seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 40 minutes.

In four games against Denver in this year's playoffs, Paul averaged 25 points, ten assists, five rebounds, and 1.5 steals. He shot 61% from the field, 58% from the three-point line and, didn't miss a free throw. Those are solid numbers from a 36-year old point guard.

Much has been said about Devin Booker's scoring rampage in this year's playoffs or about Deandre Ayton's rise. However, the Suns would have been a different team without a Chris Paul providing the age-tested stability at the point guard. It's one of the reasons why the Suns have risen back to the West Finals. It's one of the reasons why people have been calling him the Point God.

Chris Paul has helped increase the winning percentage of every team he has played. He certainly helped the Suns finished the 2020-2021 regular season with the second-best record in the West. His presence alone helped in his teammates' improvement in the game.

Whichever team the Suns will face next has a bag full of problems. Aside from limiting Devin Booker or containing Deandre Ayton down low, that team's point guards will have to deal with Chris Paul and the "CP3 effect".

Photo is from Sportsnet