When the Phoenix Suns took a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals, a lot of us did not expect them to be staring down the barrel heading into game six. But such is the nature of the sport that it keeps throwing us these surprises, and here we are, the Suns are one game away from losing it all.
At the center of it, is one man whose career seemed destined to peak at this very moment, but it’s looking like his chance will fizzle out. Chris Paul has always been one of the most respected players in the league but has never had a ring to cement his legacy.
Everything seemed to come into place this season as the Suns led by Paul, put together an outstanding performance and reached the final. The stage seemed set for a history-making championship win and some much-needed joy for the city of Phoenix.
And it started so well as the Suns seemed to know just what to do with the Milwaukee Bucks. Their pick-and-roll offense paid a lot of dividends and they knew how to handle Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton when defending. What seemed like it was going to be an interesting series looked like it was heading for a sweep.
But heading into a do-or-die game six, it is unclear as to what the Suns can do to turn the tide around. They gave it their all, in game-five and bar a heroic play from Jrue Holiday, they might have won it. This will give them some confidence knowing that they are still within touching distance of the Bucks.
If by some chance the Suns force a win at Milwaukee and take the deciding game back home, there is every chance they will be the ones to come out on top. But to do that, they will have to stop the juggernaut that is the Bucks and that is not looking possible at the moment.
For Chris Paul, a post-season that has done so much may end without the icing on the cake.
That should take nothing away from the legend that he is but if he does end his career without a ring, there will always be questions related to his legacy. Everything is on the line in game six and for the city of Phoenix, they will be behind their leader CP3.