Everyone held their collective breath in Phoenix on Sunday afternoon as Suns point guard Chris Paul clutched his shoulder in clear pain during Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Aspirations and dreams of winning the NBA title were put on the back burner as Paul remained down for a couple of minutes before making his way to the locker room.

A standing ovation was had when Paul emerged from the locker room a short time later and returned to the court in the 99-90 win for the Suns over LeBron James and the Lakers.

It looked pretty evident even after returning though, that Paul was playing at less than 100% and favoring the injured shoulder. Now, there's been a little more clarity provided on Paul's status moving forward for the Suns.

As Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports, CP3 is dealing with a stinger. While Paul noted right after the game he will be ready for Game 2, Somers' report backs up the notion that even though that is the case, the injury could potentially affect CP3 moving forward.

Paul finished with 7 points and 8 assists in 36 minutes for the Suns in their win. He only attempted eight shots on the night and was limited in his opportunities shooting the rock.

If the injury lingers, it could shift the plans for how the Lakers want to operate defensively moving forward in this series. Thankfully for the Suns, they have the early 1-0 advantage but obviously there is a long way to go.

The good news: Chris Paul will be playing in Game 2. The yet to be seen circumstances involve how much the injury will hold him back the rest of this series.