AP Photo/Mark J. TerrillAfter defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 130 to103 in Game 6, of the Western Conference Finals, on Wednesday at Staples Center, the Phoenix Suns will play in the NBA Finals.Chris Paul scored 41 points on 16-of-24 shots (7-of-8 shooting from three-point range), and had eight assists. Devin Booker had 22 points, while Deandre Ayton had 16 points, 17-rebound double-double.Phoenix shot 56.4% from the field, and made 17-of-31 3-pointers. Phoenix took a comfortable lead of 105-85 at the end of the third quarter, and began the fourth with a 16-3 run. This led to the 27 point win.Kawhi Leonard, a Clippers forward, was out of the series with a right leg injury that has kept him out for the whole series. Marcus Morris Sr. was the L.A. leader with 26 points. Paul George scored 21 points, shooting 6-of-15.Phoenix won the best of seven matchup in four games to 2.Notable PerformancesSuns PG Chris Paul: 42 points, 8 assists and 3 stealsSuns SG Devin Booker: 22 Points, 7 rebounds and 4 assistsSuns C Deandre Ayton 16 points, 17 reboundClippers F Paul George: 21 Points, 9 ReboundsClippers G Reggie Jackson: 13 Points, 8 AssistsClippers F Marcus Morris Sr.: 26 Points, 9 ReboundsCP3 Wins First-Ever Finals ShowcaseChris Paul played professional basketball 16 seasons. His future Hall of Fame record includes 11 All-Star appearances as well as 10 All-NBA team nominations. He also holds nine All-NBA Defensive Team honors. He has also been the NBA's leader in assists, with four of his own, and he has also been the NBA's leading stealer on six occasions.This is in addition to two Olympic gold medals and a remarkable resume that includes everything except an NBA MVP or a championship.CP3 will have the opportunity to witness the Suns' first ever appearance at the championship in 28 years.Paul was absolutely brilliant and propelled Phoenix to Wednesday's Finals. He found Mikal Bridges using a stunning alley-oop pass, and scored a few threes in the first half which saw Phoenix lead by nine after the break.Paul finished the first half with 10 points and 4 dimes. However, he won the game in the second.He managed to win a three-pointer against Nicolas Batum.This three was part of an 8-0 personal run that transformed an 89-82 advantage into a 97–82 lead. Phoenix never looked back.Paul scored 19 more points in the final quarter to end any hope that the Clippers had for the fourth quarter. He was also responsible for 14 points in Phoenix's 16-3 run that saw them lead 105-85.He was able to jump quickly from the baseline and score 28 points.Paul converted quickly on a 4-point play to effectively end this one for good.Paul continued to roll, scoring this three over Morris and ending up with 31 points in the second half.StatMuse provided another look at Paul's night.ESPN Stats & Info praised his unique scoring feat due to his 36-year-old age.Paul was sensational. Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Moant observed how effortless everything seemed to Paul, who was nothing short of extraordinary.Marc J. Spears of Undefeated said that Paul played his "greatest game" in his Hall of Fame career.This is a difficult statement to make, and it was the reason Paul and the Suns won the championship.Clippers' valiant effort saves Leonard FallsIt is difficult to replace a player with 24.8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest. This is not even considering a clutch playoff performer such as Leonard, who was a two-time NBA Finals MVP.The Clippers were given this series to do as Leonard was unable to play due to a right knee injury.The Clippers are to be commended for not going away silently after Leonard was eliminated from their Western Conference playoff series with the Utah Jazz.L.A. defeated Jazz, the top-seeded team, in its two next games without Leonard. This allowed them to reach the Western Conference Finals.After a narrow loss of 120-114 in Game 1, the Clips almost lost to Phoenix in their arena in Game 2, before Ayton's game-winning alley oop dunk secured the Suns the 104–103 buzzer beating win.L.A. won Game 3 106-92. George (27 points and 15 rebounds), and Ivica Zubac (16 points and 16 rebounds), coached the Clippers.Although the Clips were never in control of Game 4, and they trailed by 16 at times, they rallied and reduced the Suns' lead down to 79-78 before finally falling 84-80.Clips won Game 5, with George scoring 41 points to propel the Clippers to their second win of this series by 14 points, this time by a score of 116-102.Game 6 saw the Suns win the series for the first time. Paul forced the Clippers into a premature white flag wave. Paul and Phoenix were unstoppable as they soared into the championship round.The better team won the final game and will now be playing in the NBA Finals. However, it is impressive that the Clippers managed to reach the playoffs with their best player.What's next?In the NBA Finals, the Phoenix Suns will face either the Milwaukee Bucks (or the Atlanta Hawks) In their Eastern Conference Finals series, the Hawks and Bucks are tied at 2 games each.In the NBA Finals, the Suns will be playing against either team on their homecourt.
