Phoenix Suns star point guard Chris Paul is out indefinitely after entering the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
This puts Paul's status for the start of the Western Conference Finals in jeopardy. Charania notes that “depending on the medical circumstance, an isolation period could be shorter for a vaccinated individual.” It's unclear if CP3 has been vaccinated.
Chris Paul and the Suns advanced to the Western Conference Finals by sweeping the Denver Nuggets. Phoenix is waiting on the winner of the series between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, which is tied at 2-2.
With this news, the Suns are certainly hoping that series goes a full seven games, giving them as much time off before the Western Conference Finals as possible. It's not yet known when Game 1 of that next series will be.
Chris Paul has been dynamite for the Suns in these playoffs, so it would obviously be a crushing blow if he has to miss any games. This would seem to be just another unlucky break for him in the playoffs, but if he's not vaccinated, that's on him and could cost his team a trip to the NBA Finals. Let's hope that he is and will miss a shorter period of time than normal. Perhaps he even misses no games depending on how the other series goes.
Phoenix hasn't lost a game in the playoffs since going down 2-1 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Suns dominated the Lakers the next three games with Anthony Davis hurting, and they destroyed a shorthanded Nuggets squad. Paul had 37 points in the closeout Game 4 and averaged 25.5 points and 10.3 assists in the series while shooting 62.7%.