The Pelicans fanbase has a trying relationship with several of its former stars, there's no questioning it.
The fresher wound is that of Anthony Davis, who forced his way out of town to the Lakers. But that relationship is more straightforward with more than a fair bit of trolling to go around. The recent run-ins with Chris Paul, however, reach beyond his exit way back in 2011. The team was named the Hornets at that point. Many current Pelicans fans might not even remember he was ever here at all.
So that begs the question: Why were "Chris Paul sucks" chants raining down at the end of the Pelicans' 129-124 victory in overtime Sunday afternoon, the Pels' second head-to-head win against Phoenix in the span of three days that helped secure New Orleans' full-game cushion atop the West standings and also dropped the Suns to No. 4 on the heels of a four-game losing skid?
It's a little complicated, but not really. Largely it will bubble back to the first-round playoff series a year ago. The upstart Pelicans pushed the Suns to 6 games, and often made CP3 look bad as they did it. He was particularly frustrated with the Pels' jitterbug guard Jose Alvarado. At one point he threw an elbow. At another point he threw a kick that was aimed at Alvarado's groin. It wasn't a pretty picture. Some difficult-to-hear Chris Paul sucks chants were emanating from the stands at that point, but they were a distant second to the volume behind the "F*** Jae Crowder" messaging.
It's not difficult to understand what drew the ire of fans, either. Here's a thread from Mason GInsberg of The Bird Writes that shows a good bit of the less-than-above-the-belt behavior.
But Paul got the last laugh, putting down an otherworldly 14-for-14 shooting performance during a closeout Game 6 at the Smoothie King Center. And that's where things sat until he returned for the first of the two games on Friday. The Pelicans needed a win to secure their place atop the West standings, and they got it. As they did it, the fire was fueled with a last-second, Space Jam-caliber dunk by Zion Williamson to twist the knife in a 128-117 Pelicans win.
There was some pushing and shoving. The Suns didn't like it. The fans didn't care, these Pelicans had made a statement. But it was one that Phoenix had a clear chance to rebut on Sunday. They lost again. Paul did nail the game-tying shot with under 2 seconds to go in regulation, but he fouled out in overtime and got his message from the fans as the Pels waltzed off with another win.
These Pelicans are for real. And in fairness, so is Chris Paul. He had 30 points and 18 assists over these two games. He remains one of the best point guards of all time. He, unquestionably, does *not* "suck. The fans are going to make sure Chris Paul and the Suns know that they're not intimidated, along with exactly how they feel about the star guard who made his first stamp on the NBA right here in New Orleans.
The Pels landed the first two blows. They sent a message. So did the fans. The next matchup is on Dec. 17 out in Phoenix. Game on.
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