Paper Gui L.A. | Career has been upside down, can Paul assist Curry to break the curse of no crown?

Paul, who is 39 years old next season, was traded three times in quick seconds in just a few days, and it was clear that last season he was the core point guard of a championship-contending team, but suddenly changed hands three times and drifted around. We can never predict what will happen in the future, and as Chris Paul did during this time, things often turn out more than people expected.

This season, the 38-year-old Paul has maintained a very good competitive form, averaging 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game, and is the core of the organization in a championship team. In the long-lived NBA, the 38-year-old Paul can still maintain a certain deterrent on the defensive end even if he is only 183 tall - basically no one dares to hit Paul. But after the Suns welcomed Kevin Durant, the team added the original weak forward line, became the favorite of the championship, Paul was injured like a spell in the playoffs, and then the team was defeated by Jokic's Nuggets, Paul's season was also over. But the team is still strong, management is also very supportive, Paul is still rushing for next season, but the news of the trade also suddenly hit: Chris Paul and Bradley Beal swapped owners. Just as Paul was about to pack his bags and head to Washington, news of a new trade came: the Washington Wizards traded Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors. Life is like a play! Who could have predicted what would happen in the future? No one expected Paul to suddenly "float around."

Athletes eat youth, and NBA players often want a stable long-term contract in their later years, because as they get older, they are more unstable sports, and unstable states in this commercial league will affect your value as a player all the time. As strong as Kobe Duncan also fell off a cliff late in his career, even if LeBron James still has good athletic form this season, we can clearly see that his influence on the defensive end is getting less and less, or in other words, he is old and can't run. So of course Paul wants to be stable, wants to spend the last period of his career smoothly in a team, but there are unforeseen circumstances, Chris Paul looks at the O'Brien Gold Cup that he has been looking forward to for more than ten years, his heart is full of melancholy, the ambition of his youth, now gradually drifting away, his seemingly brilliant career is as thin and light as paper, but what remains unchanged is the unyielding champion heart, which cannot be submerged.

In 1985, a baby boy in North Carolina fell to the ground, but no one expected that this seemingly harmless child would be so stubborn. Young Paul had few friends, because no one wanted to play with someone who was competitive and paranoid. He was always very stubborn, always had to compete with others, and he valued his dignity so much that he would never allow others to touch his head. But fortunately, his maternal grandfather understood him like Bo Le, supported him, and believed that this stubborn little grandson could get ahead. With the support of his family, everything seemed smooth for the young Paul, and he received invitations from major prestigious schools in high school, but as mentioned at the beginning, life is like a play, and his maternal grandfather, who knows him in the world, was killed. At this moment, Paul is just a teenager, he may be dreaming of taking the college notice to share this happiness with his grandfather, but the disaster has begun, all this is like a knife stabbed in the chest of this stubborn child, but what else can he do? He could only vent his anger on the court, slashed 61 points in the game, and finally threw the ball out fiercely, full of this teenager's hatred for the world. Later, Paul entered college and his life gradually moved on track.

Hurricane Katrena ruthlessly devastated New Orleans in 2005, devastated with flooded water and huge waves. That same year, New Orleans selected Chris Paul from Wake Forest University with the fourth overall pick. The kid was irreparably traumatized in his hometown, but entering the NBA was nothing more than going from one wounded city to another. The death of one person can hurt a family, and the devastation of a city is a nightmare for thousands of families. The people of New Orleans are displaced, starved and living in dire conditions every day. Could it be a gift from God to compensate New Orleans? As the rookie Paul's wings shine brightly, as said in "The Shawshank Redemption", Paul is a bird born with dazzling feathers, and people know that his future is immeasurable as soon as he appears. After three years of light and shadow, Paul grew step by step, and when New Orleans fans walked into the familiar Smoothie King Center Arena, they found that the young man had become a hot rising star in the league. Chris Paul, like a gift from God, brings some solace to this troubled city of sadness. But Paul is like a curse, on the playoff stage is difficult to move, this young man runs desperately on the court, but the team is mired in the quagmire and cannot move forward, he gave everything for this team, but in exchange for the shame column of losing 58 points in the playoffs, it is the owner who is eager to sell the team, the team may disappear at any time and the league is hosted, and the players do not know who to work for. Finally, Chris Paul, who was completely disappointed with the team, chose to leave the team.

New Orleans is destined to be a small city, a soil that is not large enough and slightly barren to make a towering tree grow better, Los Angeles is good, there is a bigger ball market, more avid fans and countless money drunken fans. In 2011, Chris Paul joined the Los Angeles Clippers and formed the Big Three with the white monster Griffin and Jordan Jr., and a super team "Air City" was officially established. But every year in the regular season trio kills, in the playoffs is like a curse, the core of the team suffered injuries one after another, stars on the bench suit and tie, substitutes spilled blood on the field to lead the team desperately, how can such a team make a difference in the playoffs, Paul can't touch the West finals floor has also become a joke. The city is gorgeous, like a visual feast for fans, but grandeur will win cheers, but it won't bring victory, and the combination of gorgeous external shells and inches in the playoffs is just a flashy team.

And later? The empty city that carries the memories of a generation has dispersed, Paul also went to Houston to join James Harden, and the two formed a backcourt combination comparable to the Splash Brothers, Paul finally touched the coveted West finals floor, but only touched the West finals floor, and it was still difficult to move on the court. It was 18 years of rockets, and that best "Hellfire" was a good memory of how many people. That offseason, Chris Paul parachuted into Space City from the City of Angels, in addition to the light bulb combination in the backcourt, there were "pie king" Capela, shoe king PJ Tucker, 9-finger dunk king Gerard Green, and of course, a player from the East, Zhou Qi, who was still a little immature that year and failed to carry the banner of the Chinese men's basketball team. With a 65-17 record in the regular season, Paul played more easily and helped Harden win his first career MVP. Although the playoffs can't resist the wave of the Golden State Warriors with all their power, how can it be called youth without regrets. But not far after, the "light bulb" turned against him, and the team fell apart. The beginning of the story is very tender, but the ending is really not worthy of that wonderful beginning.

Paul joined the Thunder and returned to Oklahoma City, where his dream began, and when New Orleans was hit by a natural disaster, the team temporarily moved to Oklahoma City, Ohio, where the first game of Paul's NBA career began. And time has passed, and Paul, who has been crawling in the NBA for more than ten years, has returned here, how can his heart not be full of waves. That year, people were attacking him, thinking that he was too old to control the game, that he was not worthy of signing such a big contract, that he would lock up the team's salary space, and everyone thought that he was not worth so much money, but what happened later? Paul slapped the men in the face. At this moment, the Thunder completely announced a rebuild after sending away Wilson, and the players were sold in exchange for a group of scraps and young players, ready to swing to get a high draft pick, and Paul was traded only because Paul still had a one-year interim contract. But this year, Paul completely subdued me, facing a team that has just experienced great turmoil and a mess of sand, Paul seems to have his own system, directly revitalized this team, stimulated the potential of that group of young people, led a rotten team to the fifth place in the regular season in the West, directly to the playoffs, although the final regret is out, but it is undeniable Paul's ultimate ability to lead the team. But Russia City must be rebuilt, a mediocre trip to the playoffs is not the future of this team, and Paul is only a guest of this team.

In the new season, Paul stood in the fiery Phoenix city of Phoenix in Phoenix wearing a Suns jersey, teaming up with Devin Booker, who had been depressed in the sun sky for many years, and the young top show Ayton, with Paul's control organization, the trio directly entered the finals in the first year, Paul touched the floor of the finals stage in his heart, but the opponent was the powerful Bucks led by the alphabet song that year, unfortunately, another year of folding. It's okay, next season is back, offseason under the premise of maintaining the core lineup, the regular season record is directly the first in the league, but in the first round against the Pelicans led by Ingram who played all the way to the playoffs, when everyone thought that the Suns would be easily eliminated, the resilience of this youth army will be 2:2, although the final success is urgent, but also made this Suns break out in a cold sweat. But in the second round against the same young lone ranger, but in the seventh battle half lost 30 points, the game was directly spent into garbage time, in a humiliating way to lose the game, may really be a curse, Paul's every loss seems to nail him to the pillar of shame as sharp. Will it make a comeback next season? I'm afraid there is little hope, the gang seems to have reached the end of the ceiling, but in the middle of the season, a trade that caused the league earthquake allowed Paul to rekindle the heart of the championship - Kevin Durant joined, the Suns strengthened his weakest forward, directly supplemented a super killer, just as the battleship set sail, Paul was injured in the playoffs, and then the Suns were eliminated by the Nuggets. At this moment, Chris Paul was sitting on the sidelines in a suit, he couldn't help but wonder his fate, after so many years, is there really a curse? Why do you have to make a joke on him whenever you are about to succeed? For so many years, the unwillingness of youth has long been scattered, and more is the helplessness in the depths of those lost eyes, perhaps, the champion really has nothing to do with himself.

Now, Paul has traveled to the Bay Area. Champion? It may not be so important anymore, Paul will be 39 years old next season, which is already considered "old" for athletes; And money, Paul does not seem to be lacking, in the past few years of his career, Paul has signed several large contracts, and the money earned is enough for him to squander; Historical status, this thing is even more nihilistic, only those superstars will chase, and themselves? Maybe? But without even a big honor, it is doomed to miss this. But what else could Paul chase? He doesn't think about his career, made enough money, won enough applause, and a group of fans who love him, but what about the accolades? There is no decent one, and the championship he is desperately chasing has completely turned into a bubble at the end of this season, and he is no longer the spirited "queen bee" and "captain" of his youth, and he is no longer the child who thinks he can do everything. But life is like this, success is only temporary, failure is the main theme, that is, the attitude to failure determines your life, Chris Paul is like this, career has faced countless failures, each time like a curse helpless and sudden, but it is in this way, Paul may recognize the essence of life, but he still loves the field, loves the sport, loves his life.

Indeed, life is not as good as you think, nor is it as bad as you think. The new season, in the Warriors, a new beginning, the 39-year-old veteran, will start a new year. Chris Paul, he still loves the game, he can't give up his beloved basketball, he just wants to enjoy the feeling of fighting on the court now like he did when he was a young man with the Hornets.

(Text/Los Ato Mitsui's basketball story)