Battle lines on Twitter were drawn as DeMarcus Cousins threw an elbow or Chris Paul pulled off an epic flop, depending on your perspective.
Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals between the Clippers and the Suns got chippy on Wednesday night.
Leave it to DeMarcus Cousins and Chris Paul to be at the center of it all.
Late in the third quarter, Cousins and Paul had a coming together after a made layup. What followed divided NBA Twitter of flagrants and flops.
Chris Paul wanted DeMarcus Cousins ejected after this play 👀
— FanSided (@FanSided) July 1, 2021
(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/leDJ7F9Wy6
Was it an elbow?
That’s gotta be a flagrant 1, Cousins actually threw an elbow
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) July 1, 2021
Cousins throwing elbows, pushing everyone, attitude isn’t good for the game.
— Video Games and Chill (@VGandChill) July 1, 2021
Was it a flop?
Chris Paul is playing one of his greatest games. But he's an all-time flop artist.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 1, 2021
Chris Paul is a criminal for what he just did
— Jackson Safon (@JacksonSafon) July 1, 2021
Boogie Cousins slides an elbow that grazes CP3’s outer ear:
— Hop Wei Ky (@KyTheBrute) July 1, 2021
CP3: pic.twitter.com/b24ZHw7VmT
Was it both?
DeMarcus Cousins threw an unnecessary elbow. Chris Paul absolutely sold the contact.
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) July 1, 2021
Both can be and are true.
Paul definitely has a reputation for exaggerating contact, but it did look like Cousins made a move with his elbow as Paul came underneath.
The officials ultimately hit DeMarcus Cousins with a technical foul, but Paul missed the free throw.
DeMarcus Cousin’s elbow and Chris Paul’s flop was a turning point
That appeared to be the turning point in the game. The Clippers had been on a run, cutting the deficit as narrow as seven points. However, Paul hit a three-pointer before the quarter ended and the Suns came out in the fourth quarter on a tear. The point guard put his team up by 20 with three straight makes.
Paul may have flopped, but he responded in the critical moments of the game to make sure his team responded to the hubbub in the right way. He played like a man in hot in pursuit of an NBA Finals appearance.
The Suns needed some big performances to make sure the series won’t go to Game 7. Phoenix severely outrebounded the Clippers while shooting well from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Paul George struggled to have the same kind of impact he had in the second half of Game 5.