Who could’ve imagined Chris Paul, a longtime rival of the Warriors, would receive “CP3!” chants from Golden State’s home Chase Center crowd in the season-opening 108-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns?
Definitely not Paul.
“Yeah, it was [surreal],” Paul told reporters. “Dario looked at me and started laughing, and I couldn’t help but laugh. That was a first, yeah.”
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For much of his now 19-year NBA career, Paul had bad blood with Golden State, often facing the Warriors in the playoffs as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets.
However, Paul's now on what his new teammates would call the right side of things and is making "CP3" a household name across the Bay Area, beginning with Chase Center.
In Paul's regular-season Warriors debut, the 12-time NBA All-Star posted 14 points, nine assists, six rebounds and two steals in Golden State's four-point loss.
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While Kevin Durant generated buzz for playing in front of Warriors fans for the first time since leaving Golden State in 2019 free agency, Paul also played his former team for the first time since being traded twice during the past offseason.
Although Paul and Golden State wanted to come out victorious to begin the season, the pairing can continue on knowing the fans are behind this year's most prominent acquisition and former enemy.
After all, it is remarkable that Paul is an ally for the Warriors while sharing the floor with Durant, considering the intense Warriors-Rockets duels of old.
