Chris Paul Was Utterly Dejected in Last Night's Press Conference [VIDEO]

Chris Paul, who has not been as much of a focal point in the Clippers’ late collapse last night as the officials, was sullen at the podium last night. Have we ever seen him like this before? “This is probably the toughest thing I’ve been through basketball-wise,” said the Clippers point guard. “It’s me. Everything that happened there at the end is on me. I’m supposed to be the leader of the team. That can’t happen.”

Paul was referring to the sequence in which he turned the ball over, fouled Russell Westbrook shooting a three, and failed to get a shot off in the final possession. Credit him for putting much more blame on himself than on the refs. How he and his teammates respond in Game 6 on Thursday night is obviously appointment viewing.