Years later, when Chris Paul confronts reporters for questioning at his sixth press conference in the Western Conference Semifinals, he may recall that rookie season that was ruined by Hurricane Katrina.
Since 1851, the United States has been hit by three Category 5 hurricanes, Katrina is one of them, 20-year-old Paul looked at the flooded, has become a piece of New Orleans, completely unaware that this is just the first joke god made in his career, and also did not realize this, and the Hornets management who had just selected Paul in the first round of four.
Success guard, defeat guard, this sentence, used to describe this team that only entered the league in 1987, is really appropriate, they made the 1.60m tall Tinnie Boggs famous, but for a mediocre European center missed Kobe Bryant, they lost the main shooting guard Bobby Firth in a car accident accident, but gained the fledgling Byron Davis, although last season, they just experienced the worst record in team history, but still hope to be selected next year's core of the team, Can take them through the second round of the playoffs.
Like all fans, Paul didn't think it would be hard to reach the division finals, after all, it was just one of the stops for all the great players to the O'Brien Cup, Rookie was full of ambition, Paul was the same, but unlike the rookies who satisfy as long as he got a good number in the rookie season, his desire was more abundant and visible to the naked eye, and former Hornets player Spidic Clarkston had seen it with his own eyes, and after a day of intense training, he didn't even want to relax or go home, he just wanted to continue shooting.
If it was an opium, Paul was an absolute addict, and for twenty years he was so stubborn that he morbidly turned everything in his life into a game and then won by any means necessary, which his brother CJ Paul attributed to a Napoleonic complex, because he was a shorter being than his peers before his junior year of high school, and he fell in love with a sport that belonged to giants.
The same plot, 1978 also happened to another young man in North Carolina, in high school, because of his lack of height, he was demoted to the second team, only a year later, he was selected to the National High School Basketball Best Team, as if it was a kind of time and space intertextuality, Paul in 2002 also did it, just from the second team to the first team, he led Sievers High School to the state semifinals.
This is not the only time-lapse between Paul and Michael Jordan in their careers, in fact, the first year of their careers, are the same spring breeze, the same fresh clothes, this rookie is too bright, just look at the first game of their careers, it is enough to conclude that they will be the number one person stirring up the league in the future.
In the summer of 2006, after witnessing the same talented third-year guard lead Miami to the championship, the Charlotte people could not sit still, watching their rookie who averaged 17.3 points and 8.9 assists per game, began to move the idea of dominating the West, so they cleaned up the poor remnants of the squad, got the inside killer Chandler and the sharpshooter Peja, and began to officially build a team around Paul, until the first game after Christmas, when general manager Jeff Ball looked at Paul running on the field. After falling down as if he had suddenly been hit by an arrow, his usually resolute face could no longer hide the look of disappointment.
Paul was also frustrated, Hurricane Katrina had been two years ago, but he seemed to be still trapped in that Tropical Cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean, the Hurricane ruined his supposedly perfect rookie season, injuries ruined his first playoff game that should have started this year, before his left ankle sprained, teammates had fallen like dominoes, West and Peja were reimbursed for the season, and Chandler, the only one who could hold out on the court, was trapped in back spasms and his state was fluctuating throughout the season.
In the early summer of 2007, Paul finally left Oklahoma, although the fans here had regarded him and the Hornets as his own, but at this time Paul was bent on escaping, running to Louisiana, running to New Orleans, running to the All-Star Weekend promised by Stern, running to the unknown future, as if it would be better there.
Things seem to be really getting better, that season Paul, paid an average of 21 points, 4 rebounds, 11.6 assists, 2.7 steals per game, led last season's injured Hornets to rebound strongly, ended the regular season with a record of 56 wins and 26 losses, and reached the playoffs as the second in the West, which was painful, although he could almost touch the MVP trophy, but no one felt sorry, because he was only 23 years old, not to mention the first playoff, he had already led the team to the Western Conference semifinals , which was the best result in The Hornets history, but Paul didn't know at the time that it would be the best of his career for quite some time.
You always think you still have a chance, until one day you find out that you don't have another chance.
This is the summer of the seven-game entanglement with the San Antonio Spurs and the final defeat, Morris Peterson said to Paul, at the time he thought it was just Big Brother's feelings about his mediocre career, but it was not until 2015, when the 30-year-old Paul, after being turned over by the Rockets 4:3 in the Western Conference semifinals, understood that this sentence was actually given to himself.
That year, Paul fell before the Western Conference Finals again, counting this time, the team with him as the core has not been able to go further in the playoffs for 7 consecutive years, people's attitudes have begun to become ambiguous, 7 years, watching Paul lose again and again, the regret in their hearts is almost exhausted, disappointment and doubt began to slowly pour into their expressions and words, but in words, still maintain the last decency of this "point guard god".
It was Bill Simmons who spoke first, and the leading ESPN commentator and American tongue-and-neck critic wrote in an almost brutal satire: "When the team needs you to cut 40 points, you only come up with a perfect but useless 25+10."
Public opinion fried, but Paul chose to silence, and did not shoot at Bill on social media, because it was easy to let himself fall into the classic "cool powder" trap, he let this article ferment wildly on the Internet, was talked about by all walks of life, just like this, after the discussion of "pseudo-superstars" lasted for three years, on May 9, 2018, Paul scored 41 points, the Rockets defeated the Jazz 4:1, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
He finally did it, but paul, 33, wasn't happy with the win, it wasn't the way he wanted to win, he preferred to help his teammates win 40+ than he did; It wasn't the result he wanted, there wasn't a winner who only saw entering the Western Conference as the ultimate goal, but the overwhelming praise of the media made him feel deeply enchanted by the world, and their blessings were so sincere that they made him feel insulted.
Compared to the current gong and drum noise, Paul still misses the first loss to San Antonio in 2008, that night, it seems that he is the only one immersed in the defeat, sad to cover his face and sob, the people around him come and go, change clothes, just like an ordinary loss, brother CJ and so on outside, a teammate came to him and said, your brother is crying inside, too exaggerated, right?
A winner should experience that kind of loneliness, just like Kobe's rookie season, the desire to win and stubbornness make him incompatible with the people around him, but this arrogance has also made him, Paul has the honor of playing with Kobe, who has just won two consecutive championships, in the playoffs, and under Kobe's close defense, he blasted down a super triple-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists, turning the big score into a 2:2 draw, although in the end it was still regrettable, but Paul won Kobe's respect, 33-year-old Kobe bryant told 27-year-old Paul, You did everything you had to do and the future will be fine.
The future will be fine, as long as we fight for it, any victorist will take this sentence as a guideline, but after these years in Los Angeles, Paul began to become a little hesitant, and on the night when the Clippers lost 4:1 to the Rockets, the full of frustration and anger was gone, and then there was an invisible pressure, like throwing him into the endless cosmic vacuum, no sound, no air, no temperature, it was a huge nothingness, he tried his best to push the stone to the top of the mountain, as if to push it again.
Grizzlies, Warriors, Thunder, Spurs, Black and White Bears, Splash Brothers, Thunder Three, GDP... These high or dangerous mountains, some crossed and some not crossed, against them, a game will take ten games of mental effort, but even if you win the game, injuries will follow, become a new roadblock, he is physically and mentally exhausted, looking back at the brothers around him, they all have only one breath left, after falling at the west finals door again, they are breathing heavily, anger and questions begin to flash in their eyes - can you, Chris Paul, lead us to win the championship?
He knows what his teammates and fans are looking forward to, Kobe Bryant in 2009, James in 13 years, that's what the stars look like, but Paul's statistics in the playoffs are always affordable triple-doubles, and in the face of doubt, he habitually does not defend, although people forget that he has long since lost the meniscus, although people forget that when he is on the court, the team's super high plus-minus, although people forget that he has killed opponents twice in seven consecutive battles... This sounds cruel, but in Paul's view, not allowing heroes to see white heads is the highest courtesy that people give to the strong.
So he scored 41 points, the man who had preferred to give the ball to Jordan Jr. rather than shoot himself, actually chose to hang the most terrifying scoring monster of the time outside the three-point line, he singled out the opposing guard at a 45-degree angle, completed one step after another retreat three-pointers, 8 of 10, the commentators attributed Paul's crazy performance to his desire to enter the Western Conference Finals, but in fact, after coming to the Rockets, he was no longer the Paul who only wanted to wear needles and lead and make wedding clothes for others, but more like Nash, more like Curry, The scoring machine that was ready to open the Carry button at any time, this game, was nothing more than his work of venting anger.
Fate owes him, 23 years old let him taste the sweetness of leading the team to the Western Conference semifinals, but it took 10 years to let him taste the taste of defeat, at the end of the game, when the ball crossed a few meters long three-point line to hit the rebound, hit the basket, the barrier of fate seemed to finally collapse at this moment, Toyota Center cheered thunder, Paul was a little trance, 3 years ago, he also saw such a scene, but this time, the applause was finally not given to the opponent, but to him.
Houston, as if destined to be Paul's second spring, like his rookie season, in 2017, when Paul, a free agent, began to look for his next home, there was also a tropical air mass quietly accumulating over the Atlantic Ocean in the distance, and two months after Paul officially announced his joining the Rockets, the tropical cyclone finally turned into a hurricane and pounced on Texas.
"Do you think you're a bad luck person?" You were just chosen by the Wasps, and there was a hurricane in New Orleans, and now we have a hurricane here," Paul said a few days after Harvey ravaged Houston, paul went to a resettlement site to comfort the children there, a little girl asked.
Childish, Paul in a later interview, used this word to explain his language at that time, the child is just a simple question, embarrassing is the interpretation of adults, he is not willing to put everything to luck, this is too bad Paul, but after the debut of the Rockets career, he has missed 14 games in a row, which is almost one-sixth of the entire season.
But the Houstonians didn't bother about it, the record covered up everything, the first 15 games, they were 11-4, only half a win behind the Warriors, and then, Paul came back, the Rockets beat the Suns 142:116, although he only played for 20 minutes, but still made everyone excited, there were coveted Paul for a long time, a lot of money to buy him more than Morey, there is also Harden who was forced to be dual for many years, bent on retreating, and of course, the media who are eager to penetrate and premeditate a fire war for a long time... Like a grand gamble, people are sure to leave, as if it has been determined that the new king of the alliance will ascend the throne this year.
Things developed more than people expected, relying on the rocket of twin engines to fly, finally broke through the atmosphere and came to the cosmic courage of the day at that time, after four games, 2:2, the familiar Tianwang Mountain, Paul's last win, or 10 years ago.
As tragic as ever, the two top teams in the offensive level league, after the fourth quarter, the score has not yet exceeded 100, the number one killer Harden is completely locked, and the other side is also exhausted under the fierce confrontation... It's today, Paul thinks, and then starts to take over the game, in every scoring moment, he no longer pursues rationality, no longer tandem teammates, go to his "point guard god", even if folded in the air, to hit that damn three-pointer, at the end of the fourth quarter, the Rockets lead by one point, in front of the stinking Quinn Cook, Paul kicked the throttle into the inside line, threw high, and then landed heavily...
On the back of his right thigh, there was a sharp pain in his heart, just like the one in 2015, but three years ago, he could still drag his injured leg under Duncan's long arm to kill him, but this time, God didn't even give him the strength to get up and defend... Paul struggled to get up, looking sheepishly at the Warriors' golden 5-on-4 chance, and could only pray silently in his heart.
King Mountain still won, but the series still lost, like this high and low season, is not the first time, 2018 Paul does not know, this will not be the last time, what he knows is that he is 33 years old, although he has reached this age, but people who know Paul, believe that he is not strong, but Houston and Harden have lost patience.
Paul was sent to Oklahoma, where he did not want to stay, and now it is the place where Wei Shao did not want to leave, when he left, there was only a fan who had nowhere to put his love, and when he returned, there was already a hero, a team, a culture, and the road to Russia was cloudless, but Paul's heart was blowing a hurricane... Then, when the plane landed, he stepped down the gangway to the Chesapeake Energy Stadium and said in front of his new teammates, "I want to play here, not a hypocritical courtesy."
It was Paul's choice after the stone rolled down the hill again.
He knew that the team was going to rebuild, and what he had to do now was to go all the way down, and now here, there were only hairy guys and frustrated middle-aged people, although it was six times higher than Adams's annual salary, but Paul knew that in Presti's eyes, the only difference between him and him was that with Paul, there might be more ticket income.
Do people who have missed countless opportunities still dare to talk about victory? People have the idea of finding legitimacy for Paul coming to Oklahoma, but may forget that this person is called Chris Paul, and after 29 games in the new season, everyone finally remembered this, after beating the Clippers, their winning percentage of the season exceeded 50% for the first time, and the praise came again, overwhelming, when talking about thunder, Jesus and God will definitely appear in the opening statements of the media.
At the end of the regular season, Oklahoma finished with 44 wins and 25 losses to advance to the playoffs as the fifth seed in the West, and even in the crazy year of 2020, the Thunder's incredible was just as amazing, and just as Presti was busy going around Versailles, Paul's eyes were already on their next opponent in the next round — the Fourth Western Conference, the Houston Rockets, and there were still unresolved grievances.
What could be more exciting than leading a team with mediocre talent to beat two MVP-led teams? At his age, there are few opportunities for juvenile madness, not to mention, this team broke its own record of getting together and dispersing, just signed a 4-year long contract to transfer him to people, just to coax a big big baby in the team to be happy.
This is a series destined to play to the end, the difference in the color of the players is visible to the naked eye, the advantages and disadvantages of the two teams are also a bright difference, even if Adams, Gallinari, Schroeder and alexander spilled their blood, but after the fifth game, the Thunder still stood on the edge of the cliff, the key moment, Paul stood up again, 28 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, both sides grabbed seven.
The first playoff game, with the old ghosts of San Antonio, played seven games, at that time, everyone was proud, facing last year's defending champions, young people standing dead, have the right to be praised, because human beings always think according to the habitual empirical theory, they will go further in the future, as if it is inevitable.
Since then, he has encountered countless seven-snatchers, it was countless muscle collisions, sweaty scorching nights, accompanied by the audience's mountain roar tsunami, there are home, there are also away, two hours of extreme attack and defense, in exchange for a key moment that only one goal can kill the game, but every time the one who loses, is the person who wants to win the most on the field, just like every time after pushing the boulder to the top of the mountain, it rolls down again... Paul lost again, 19 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists, and in the final moments, he chose to burst into the box, but Brewer completely blocked him and intercepted his last hope of passing beyond the three-point line, and the game ended, 102:104, another defeat.
Only this time, no one rebuked him anymore, and everyone showed a tolerance that had never been seen before, so he decided to rush to the next stop, two thousand kilometers away in Arizona, there was a stack of dry firewood, waiting for him to light, they had lost too much, too long, and it was urgent for someone to lead them to victory.
So, at the age of 35, Paul set out again, without turning his head, and continued to pursue his promised land.