Chris Paul's Postseason Injury History Only Concern For Betting Suns in NBA Playoffs

I've been telling you for months to bet the Suns to win the NBA Finals. They've been far and away the best team in the league this season and check every single box you look for in a contender.

But we aren't doing our jobs as bettors if we aren't considering counter-arguments. If you analyze a bet and see absolutely no way it could lose, then you probably aren't analyzing it very well. There's always arguments on both sides, and being able to make a case against yourself is crucial to long-term success.

So, it is with much chagrin that I must present a counter to the Suns winning the NBA Finals at +250 odds at WynnBET Sportsbook.

I know, I know, I know. It seems almost impossible. Phoenix has been too dominant and is too deep to have any chance of losing. It's fitting then, that Chris Paul's deadly flaw exposed itself yet again near the end of the season.

Chris Paul's Injury History Remains an Issue

Phoenix fell off quite a bit from their record-setting pace in the first three-quarters of the year. That's completely understandable, given Chris Paul fractured his thumb and missed nearly two months. But without Paul, the Suns were merely good instead of "HOLY SMOKES, THIS TEAM RULES." Merely good doesn't win you the NBA Finals.

Everywhere he's been, Chris Paul has won, except for in the playoffs. That's because, for whatever reason, the poor guy just cannot stay healthy in the postseason. He's had four playoff injuries that derailed runs, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a teensy, weensy, itsy-bit completely terrified to my bones.

In 2015, 'Point God' missed Games 1 and 2 in a playoff series against the Rockets. He returned, but the Clippers ultimately lost the series in Game 7 as they couldn't overcome his early absence.

In 2016, Paul broke his hand in an opening series against the Trail Blazers and the Clippers were demolished without him.

In 2018, it looked like the stars were finally aligned. The Rockets were up 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors and needed just one more win to finally give CP3 his first Finals appearance. Then, disaster struck. Paul injured his hamstring and didn't play another second of the series while the Warriors stole the series.

Finally, despite finally breaking through to reach his first NBA Finals, Paul hurt his shoulder in the first round against the Lakers and wasn't the same the rest of the postseason. He was fantastic in the Finals against the Bucks, so maybe it didn't really matter. But I'd love to know how he would have performed had he not been nursing an injury.

That all brings us back to this pesky thumb. Paul still looked effective in the seven games he played after returning, but if he reaggravates the injury then the Suns are in trouble. The Western Conference is stacked, with even the Play-In Tournament teams looking stout. If Phoenix can't rely on their floor general, their margin of error becomes non-existent.

My heart (and my wallet) are hopeful we can finally get a fully healthy postseason from one of the best point guards of all time, but history tells us that likely won't be the case.

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.