Chris Paul Talks Game 7 Loss to Jazz in NBA Playoffs, Clippers' Future

The Los Angeles Clippers' season came to an end Sunday with a 104-91 home loss to the Utah Jazz in Game 7 of their playoff series in Staples Center. Point guard Chris Paul had plenty to say about the contest, the larger picture and his team's immediate future."It came down to today to keep us afloat, keep us alive," he said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "We're done."The Clippers have never gotten past the second round of the playoffs during Paul's tenure, and he addressed the postseason failures, per NBA TV:Paul is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018 but has an early termination option in 2017, per Spotrac. Blake Griffin is in nearly the exact situation and is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2018 with an early termination option in 2017, per Spotrac.Paul was asked about Los Angeles' future and said, "Luckily that's not my job," per Rachel Nichols of ESPN.Paul thrived in the first six games of the series and averaged 27.3 points, 10.0 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game behind 52.6 percent shooting from the field. However, he struggled in Sunday's decisive showdown with 13 points on 6-of-19 shooting.He still had nine assists, but Los Angeles needed its leader to be more efficient from the field with its season on the line.The loss marked the sixth straight season the Clippers fell in either the first or second round, and they are clearly playing from behind against Western Conference foes such as the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and now the Jazz.Potentially losing talented players like Paul or Griffin would be a blow to any team, but the formula is not working in terms of deep playoff runs or championship contention. That means Los Angeles will be one of the most interesting teams to follow in the offseason, even though the roster decisions don't fall under Paul's job description.
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