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Chris Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets ahead of the 2017-18 NBA season. The Rockets acquired him with one thing in mind — to beat the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. Paul even considers his first season in Houston as the best team he has ever been a part of.
On The Hoop Collective podcast, Paul discussed his time with the Rockets from 2017 to 2019. He reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 2018, and they were just one win away from making the NBA Finals.
However, Paul suffered a hamstring injury in Game 5 and missed the last two games of the series.
"That first year in Houston might have been top two, top three or the best team I ever played on," Paul said. "Seriously, we were so connected defensively, offensively. When I talk about basketball, I talk about those years I was in Houston. We played the entire season to get ready for one team: for Golden State.
"We played the entire season, our defensive gameplan, our offensive gameplan, every single game was to get ready for Golden State. There's a certain way you have to play in order to beat those teams." (14:10 - 14:44)
The Houston Rockets looked like the team to finally put a stop to the dominance of the Golden State Warriors in 2018. Chris Paul, along with James Harden, led the Rockets to a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. However, Paul suffered a hamstring injury toward the end of Game 5.
CP3 went on to miss Games 6 and 7 as the Warriors staged a comeback to reach their fourth straight NBA Finals. The Rockets blew a 17-point first-quarter lead in Game 6, struggling in the second half by scoring just 25 points in the final two quarters.
Houston also had a 15-point lead in the first half in Game 7 and an 11-point lead to start the third quarter. The game was memorable because the Rockets went on to miss 27 3-point shots starting midway through the second quarter.
Chris Paul and the Rockets would face the Warriors again in the 2019 Western Conference semifinals but lost in six games. Houston would trade Paul to the OKC Thunder in the offseason in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
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Chris Paul traded to Washington Wizards
After three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, Chris Paul is heading to the Washington Wizards as part of the trade package for Bradley Beal. Paul, 38, is expected to either seek out a buyout or trade to a contender.
Paul is still seeking to win his first NBA championship, but it's unlikely to happen with a team like the Wizards. He has already been linked to the LA Lakers and LA Clippers. It remains to be seen if the 12-time All-Star gets his preferred destination.
