Chris Paul and the Suns showcased their 'Big 3' to win Game 1 of NBA Finals

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Chris Paul had some memories pop up on his phone ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Exactly one year ago, he entered the NBA Bubble.

So much has happened since then. He joined a new team. He got his new teammates to buy in. He turned them into championship contenders.

But the biggest change of all was immeasurable: Paul cemented his legacy.

Paul was known as the superstar who couldn't win. The loud mouth who annoyed his teammates. The most accomplished player to never reach the final round of the playoffs.

Over the past few months, Paul has stomped out all of those narratives, most recently with a game-high 32 points and nine assists in the Phoenix Suns' 118-105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in his first appearance in the championship round.

The injury-prone 36-year-old who couldn't win keeps outlasting and outshining everyone else in the league.

Paul's teammates have long known that the things people were saying about him were off.

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"If I hear things like that, which I did, I take it as complete nonsense," Suns guard Devin Booker said. "If he doesn't play another game for us, you can still pay him his contract. His effect is that big, you know what I'm saying? So he moves this team, he leads this team daily. Just having him in the locker room, I'm not even talking about anything he does on the court, he takes the team to that next level."

What Paul has been doing on the court has been pretty special, too.

He warmed up slowly Tuesday. By halftime, he had only 11 points. He then helped the Suns grow their lead to as many as 20 with a 16-point third quarter on 6-for-7 shooting. When the Bucks made a run to cut their deficit to seven points in the fourth quarter, Paul responded with step-back jumpers, 3-pointers and layups to help keep Milwaukee at a safe distance. 

But the triumph was about much more than Paul’s basketball skills.

It was also a reflection of who he is as a teammate. A leader who helped prepare 22-year-old center Deandre Ayton to shine with a stunning, 22-point, 19-rebound performance. A leader who nearly came to blows with shooting guard Booker during their heated battles in practice at the beginning of the season, helping prepare him for a 27-point performance on the biggest of stages.

Paul, Booker and Ayton have developed into a "Big 3," with Paul helping turn talented players with no playoff experience into a cohesive unit.

The love among them is palpable.

"It's just the respect level," Ayton said. "We all got on each other, had candid conversations where we had to adjust. But candid conversations leads to wins, and it started to be great communication and constructive criticism, and we just all take it into a positive and play together. Bring it to the other guys, and they see how we are playing as a unit, and it's contagious. That's about it."

The three stars took turns stepping up in Game 1. When Paul went scoreless in the first quarter, Booker had 12 points. When Booker had only four points in the second quarter, Paul scored 11. 

Meanwhile, Ayton plugged along, consistently scoring and grabbing rebounds while often guarding Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who returned from a hyperextended left knee that had kept him sidelined the final two games of the Eastern Conference finals. Antetokounmpo finished Game 1 with 20 points and 17 rebounds.

The "Big 3" were in perfect harmony, with each guy starring in his role and letting the game come to him.

For Suns coach Monty Williams, it was a thing of beauty to observe. 

"Earlier in the year, there was some gray areas as to how to help those guys play together," Williams said. "I think those three deserve a lot of credit for the time that they spent after practice talking about certain environments. I would love to tell you that I orchestrated it all, but we have given them a system, and then those guys talk about the angles of the screens and different ways to run plays that we have so that they can be effective. I just think it's a lot of intentional conversations between those three and all of our guys." 

The Suns' stars have grown to understand each other. They like each other. They respect each other.

That's not to say they don’t tease each other.

Ayton joked that with 4.5 seconds left, Paul stole a rebound from him that would’ve made him the first player to have a 20-20 Finals game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2004. 

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As Booker waited for his turn at the podium while Paul finished talking to reporters, Paul teased him as he answered a question about Ayton's improvement this season. 

"I couldn't be happier for another guy on our team," Paul said. "Not even you, Book."

Booker flashed a giant smile. Then he and Paul exchanged a hug before Paul left the room. 

The Suns are three wins from their first championship in franchise history. They won their first Finals game since 1993. They're making history.

It's because Paul was willing to speak his mind at the beginning of the season and because his young teammates were willing to listen. There weren't any egos in the way. There was no pride. They clashed at times, but they let things go. There was receptiveness on all ends, including Paul's.

"Sometimes people take it as arguing or whatnot, but I think it was all constructive," Paul said. "Talking about pace, they have been on me about getting the ball up the court faster. Talking to D.A. about the angles of the screens. And you see as the season goes on how much that stuff is important. Hitting the bottom, getting out, making yourself open. I could show you play after play where it helped tonight."

The Suns have taken the NBA by storm.

It's because Paul helped build one of the best "Big 3s" in the league, proving that everything everyone was saying about him was wrong.

He's now just a few wins away from adding the words "NBA champion" to his legacy. 

It's quite a long way to come in one year. 

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.