Chris Paul wants more. He is not satisfied with the success of the Los Angeles Clippers this season and he wants more. As the team earned the franchise's first Pacific Division Championship this season, Paul believes it is not enough. Now that success is becoming expected of the Clippers, the team is looking for more than just a division win. Paul is hoping to give Clippers fans more the cheer about this year, including a deep run at an NBA title.
"It just feels different now. I think now it feels like something we were supposed to do," Paul said.
As the Clippers beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday 109-95, they earned the division title. Success is something new to the Clippers organization. The team has only made four postseason appearances from 1984-2011, advancing past the first round only once. However, despite the Pacific Division title, the team still sits in fourth place in the Western Conference behind the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. If the Clippers want to give the fans more, they still have a tough road ahead of them.
Paul is a large part of that success. If there is someone that can carry a team in the postseason, it is him. In 34 postseason appearances, Paul has averaged 20.5 points and 10 assists per game. He has the ability to be a game-changing player. While with the New Orleans Hornets, he nearly led the team past the Lakers in the playoffs and took the Clippers past the Memphis in Game 7 last season.
Paul believes that this is the most talented Clippers team, along with the deepest. He says the team has learned how to battle on and overcome past defeats.
"We understand what it's like to go to the playoffs and get knocked off like last year. Now we are trying to do something bigger," Paul said.
The Clippers have gone 3-7 when facing the Spurs, Nuggets and Thunder this season. They will have to take the experience of last season and use it as motivation. Paul notes the team did not celebrate the division win, instead looking at it as a small piece to a bigger picture.
