CP3's Concluded Drought

June 30th, 2021, was one of the best days for me. I finally saw my favorite NBA player get to the NBA finals. "CP3", game six of the western conference finals, dropped 41 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. His scoring prowess in the 4th quarter was truly remarkable. As The dagger 3's he was making continued to go in down the stretch, jubilation, giddiness, and joy came over me. "Finally, he did it. I've followed him across the NBA for every team he's played for, whether via trade or free agency. I've always stuck with him, I wanted him to get a championship so bad, and after 16 long years of tiresome injuries I've seen him go through during his playoff career, he finally pushed through it and gotten over the hump, so to speak. In this playoff run, he battled COVID and played through a bad shoulder, damaged ligaments in his hand. None of that derailed him from his goal, "The NBA Finals" As I'm typing this, I'm thinking back to the early part of his career with the New Orleans Hornets, now called the New Orleans Pelicans. That's when I became a fan of his. The way he led that franchise through the regular season and the playoffs was legendary. Being only 6'0 tall, he was one of the best point guards in my opinion and is the best. I just admired the way he handled the game. He was a wizard with the basketball. His patented underhand swipe dribble in transition on a fastbreak is one of my favorite moves of his. Not to mention he was one of the best passers, the vision, accuracy, the way he set players up for jump shots by putting the ball exactly in their shooting motion, the setting up of layups and dunks. He was electric. Back then, he was one superstar trying to lead a team that was less thought of as a powerhouse in the still strong Western Conference to this day through the playoffs. He faced legendary teams and players like the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker, to the Los Angeles Lakers with the " "Black Mamba" Kobe Bryant god rest his soul, Pau Gasol, Shaquille O'neal. He battled tooth and nail with those teams and almost got his team over the hump, but nonetheless, he acquitted himself well. In the next part of his career, he played with the Los Angeles Clippers; this was another epic milestone; with him at the helm, the team was nicknamed "Lob City" because of his sweet alley-oop passes to Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan. Two great leapers and players in their own rights. The Clippers weren't a powerhouse. In fact, they finished worst in the western conference almost every year and stayed in the lottery. Until the "point god" came and changed the culture, he changed the trajectory of that organization. For most of his tenure, the Clippers were always finishing top 5 in the conference and vying for the best record overall in the Western Conference and the entire NBA! However, unfortunately, like New Orleans, he couldn't pass the second round of the playoffs and sometimes out of the first round. His next team was for the Houston Rockets. He had a similar outcome, played with a hall of fame player James Harden, increased the team's winning percentage, got close to the western conference finals and NBA finals but injuries and bad flameouts were the stories repeatedly. I'll skip past the next team he played for, the Oklahoma City Thunder, because it was repetitive, but as his career progressed, I had to watch my favorite player be traded or made to feel as if he didn't have "it" anymore. Until… this season. His stint with the Phoenix Suns. When he was traded to this team, I didn't know what to think or feel about it. I just knew that I would follow him like I always did, wanting him to succeed. This team had a great player and was already becoming a superstar and is one, Devin Booker. Watching him play with this star was incredible on most nights, the way they fed off one another's abilities, setting each other up, and taking turns dominating a quarter was truly great to see. They finished with one of the best records in the entire NBA. This team was a joy to watch play. They have a lot of great young talent that continues to thrive and get better. And all because of I'm sure you can guess who, CP3. He changed the culture or grew it. This team was already in the playoffs last season and were up in coming, but they still weren't a team that you could pencil into the playoffs. They were young, but Chris being a 16 year veteran in the NBA, having seen and done it all to this point, brought leadership, toughness, and a calming presence to this franchise led by a great coach in Monty Williams, he showed them what it took to win, how to win. As the name suggests, this team continued to "Rise" through the regular season, and when the playoffs came, they only grew more. They have had an incredible run thus far, going like 11-2 overall. I THOUGHT OF ALL THIS when I watched that clock go down to 0 in game 6 of the western conference finals. It was just a long-overdue coronation for one of the best players to ever do it, the best point guard to ever do it, to finally get to the NBA finals and have a chance to play for an NBA championship. I don't know how it'll play out for him and the Phoenix Suns In the NBA finals. Still, regardless I'm excited to watch my favorite player go after what he so strongly coveted for 16 years and have fun doing it playing with a young superstar and teammates and a head coach that is locked in, connected, and ready to seize the moment.