SAN FRANCISCO — Thirty-two minutes.
That’s how long it took the fans at Chase Center to start chanting for the same man they once rooted so deeply against.
“C-P-THREE,” they screamed after Chris Paul drained a free-throw that temporarily gave the Warriors their biggest lead of the night. “C-P-THREE.”
It didn’t start well for Paul, who began his first regular season game in a Warriors uniform by shooting 0-for-6 from the floor, and it didn’t end well for the team, as the Warriors faded down the stretch in a 108-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
But as the cork came off of the 2023-24 Warriors season and the game started to breathe, the 38-year-old kept getting better.
He finished the game with 14 points on 4-for-15 shooting while adding six rebounds, two steals, nine assists and just one turnover.
“I thought he looked really comfortable tonight,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
There was much anticipation over whether or not Paul would be in the Warriors starting lineup this season, but Draymond Green’s ankle injury made that an easy decision for Kerr, who began his 10th year as the Warriors head coach with the following lineup: Paul, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.
It was a difficult start, as the Warriors often looked “clunky” on offense, Kerr said. Watching Paul and Curry on the floor together in the first half was unusual for Warriors fans who are used to watching Curry take the ball up court.
It was a bit strange for Curry, too. He said he’s still trying to figure out where the shots are going to come from depending who is initiating the ball movement.
When Paul was at the point, there was often more of an intention on slowing the game down. He might be more deliberate with his work, a bit different than what Curry described as the Warriors’ “typical organized chaos.”
“We keep talking about the balance of playing fast but under control,” Paul said. “I’m just trying to figure out how we’re going to play this year. It’s not about what they did in the past. It’s about what our team is going to do right now to be successful.”
After a first half in which Paul, Curry and the Warriors looked like they were still feeling each other out, the Suns held a commanding 61-46 lead.
But with Curry and Paul on the floor together again to start the third quarter, something finally clicked. Curry got hot, demanded more of the ball and led the Warriors on a 15-3 run. And when he came out of the game midway through the quarter, Paul took over.
He hit his first field goal, an 11-foot jumper, to snap an 0-for-6 skid. Prioritizing everyone else’s shot over his for most of the game — NBA broadcaster Kenny Smith told TNT’s national audience that the Warriors are “too unselfish” during the halftime show — Paul finally began to attack the rim himself.
He dribbled past two defenders, faked a pass to Kevon Looney inside and converted a lay-up while getting fouled. As he waited at the free-throw line, the crowd began to chant, “C-P-THREE.”
“It was (surreal),” Paul said. “Dario (Šarić) looked at me and started laughing. And I couldn’t help but laugh. That was a first.”
CP3 chants at Chase 🗣️
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 25, 2023
Paul’s hot streak in the third pushed the Warriors lead to eight, but Curry got into foul trouble in the fourth and the Suns stormed back to win a close game.
Still, the Warriors felt encouraged.
“A lot of confidence is building, we’ll continue to get better,” said Curry, who had 27 points while going just 4-for-14 from 3-point range.
Said Paul, “I’m just excited about it.”
Even after a game in which he had nine assists – his season average last year — Paul is quickly noticing that his ability to find open looks for others might more difficult than just taking it himself. Playing with Curry and Thompson, two of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history, can draw so much attention that Paul often found himself wide open from behind the arc.
“The freedom, the pull-up 3’s that I got a chance to shoot tonight, I don’t know,” said Paul, who went 0-for-6 from 3-point range. “When you’re playing with guys that shoot as good as Steph and Klay do, I think the more games we play together, the more and more comfortable I’ll get being aggressive and finding that balance.”
Paul agreed that the Warriors “almost have guys who are too unselfish,” but noted, “we’re all getting used to each other.”
“Me and Steph played two totally different ways,” he said. “That’s an adjustment for a lot of these guys. It’s an adjustment for us.
“But you can tell the spirit we have. Spirit is something you can’t hide. I’m excited about our team.”
Kerr said it usually takes 20-25 games until a team starts to understand each other.
“This is just the first glimpse,” he said. “But it was great to have Chris out there running the show.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com