Chris Paul continues to have it out with his former Los Angeles Clippers teammates.
According to ESPN’s Stefano Fusaro, CP3 had a heated exchange with Jamal Crawford after the Houston Rockets’ eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves from the playoffs on Wednesday night:
Former Clippers teammates Jamal Crawford and Chris Paul exchanged heated words during the second half, after Crawford pushed Paul down to the floor with a forearm. Crawford was t’d up. Now the heated discussion in the tunnels of the Toyota Center. Not even trying to be quiet about it. Paul arguing that whatever Crawford said to him after the tech was uncalled for. Crawford pointing to another moment earlier in the series where Paul knocked him down didn’t check on him. The argument is still going.
Here’s a screenshot from the incident during Game 5, in which Crawford ostensibly knocked over Paul and then said something while standing over him:
Chris Paul is diabolical pic.twitter.com/Xw1O0lsbZA
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) April 26, 2018
And here’s yours truly taking a stab at what Crawford might have been saying to Paul:
"ZE-RO CON-FER-ENCE FI-NALS" pic.twitter.com/rqxjC8cYdU
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) April 26, 2018
This little squabble between former teammates—Crawford and Paul played five seasons together in Los Angeles—pales in comparison to Paul’s feud from earlier this year with the entire Clippers team. That kerfuffle involved a not-so-secret secret door and mid-game altercations far more physical than anything Paul and Crawford engaged in during this series. This incident will likely be non-issue in a day or two.
Looking at the bigger picture, though, Paul remains an expert at getting under the skin of his opponents. He’s basically Lance Stephenson, except he’s good at basketball. His defense rattles rivals, as does his incessant complaining, facial expressions and, of course, flopping.
Mostly, however, it’s the tenacious defense. In this case, there’s some history to consider as well. But Paul, even at age 32, with his 33rd birthday around the corner, continues to get up in his opponents’ grills. And that type of nose-to-nose defense is a recipe for mid-game dustups—particularly in the postseason crucible.
