Preview: CP3 makes return to Houston as a Warrior for first time

Back in 2018 If I told you the Golden State Warriors were going to Houston to face the Rockets in a Sunday matinee with Chris Paul involved, you probably would have shrugged your golden shoulders and said, “I hope Steph destroys him”.

My how times have changed. Now the Dubs are indeed headed back to Houston to duel with Clutch City, but now the Golden Empire employs CP3 and are paying him a hefty sum to unleash his usual tricks of the trade against his former team.

CAN’T WAIT!

Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets

When: October 29th, 2023 | 4:00 PM PT

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area, AT&T SportsNet Southwest

Radio: 95.7 The Game

Before Paul was exiled to Oklahoma City and migrated to Phoenix, he was a part of the two-headed monster Houston glorified alongside James Harden. Those were the guys that were supposed to dethrone the dynastic Dubs, and even held a 3-2 lead over the Warriors with prime Kevin Durant.

But a Paul hamstring injury doomed Houston that series, eventually leading to the 27 straight missed threes and the Warriors booting the Rox out of the conference championships in a grueling Game 7. Another defeat to the Warriors next year meant the end of the CP3 era in Houston. Here’s an excerpt from an ESPN interview detailing the sudden, painful exit from Texas for Paul:

“I moved about 15 people there with me,” Paul says. His wife, his kids, and his brother and wife and their kids. Cousins. The nanny, the trainer, the masseuse, security people, the chef.

But Paul’s tenure with the Rockets was quick, ruthless. The tally was two seasons of searing laments: a ravaged Paul hamstring away from a Finals berth in Year 1, and an eventually fractured relationship with James Harden in Year 2. After another playoff series loss to the Golden State Warriors in 2019, Morey shared with Paul that there was a deal brewing with the rebuilding Oklahoma City Thunder. Paul expressed his disappointment and preference to play for a contender.

Morey, pressured to land Russell Westbrook by ownership and a star in Harden who had grown tired of Paul’s constant chirping, made the deal. When Paul’s friend and former teammate Matt Barnes heard about the trade, he thought, “Damn, that’s a cold way for this to end.”

Big mistake Houston. Now the Rockets are in rebuild mode while CP3 has found a new home in Golden State. Armed with the power of the Splash Bros, Paul has the opportunity finally do what he never could in Houston: win a championship.