After season-opening loss, Chris Paul and Warriors will try to avoid being ‘too unselfish’

Chris Paul, Steph Curry believe that chemistry will take time to build

SAN FRANCISCO — It’s been 32 minutes.

That’s how long it took fans at Chase Center to start chanting for the same man they once despised.

“C-P-THREE,” they yelled after Chris Paul drained a free throw that gave the Warriors their largest lead of the night. “C-P-THREE.”

It didn’t start well for Paul, who went 0-for-6 from the field in his first regular-season game in a Warriors uniform, and it didn’t end well for the team, either, as the Warriors faded down the stretch in a 108-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

But as the lid came off the 2023-24 Warriors season and the game began to breathe, the 38-year-old continued to improve.

He finished with 14 points on 4-for-15 shooting, six rebounds, two steals, nine assists, and one turnover.

“I thought he looked really comfortable tonight,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.

There was a lot of speculation about whether Paul would be in the Warriors’ starting lineup this season, but Draymond Green’s ankle injury made it an easy decision for Kerr, who started his 10th season as head coach with Paul, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney.

Kerr described the Warriors’ offensive performance as “clunky” at times. For Warriors fans who are used to seeing Curry take the ball up the court, seeing Paul and Curry on the floor together in the first half was unusual.

It was strange for Curry as well. He stated that he is still trying to figure out where the shots will come from depending on who initiates the ball movement.

When Paul was at the point, there was often a desire to slow the game down. He may be more deliberate in his work, as opposed to what Curry described as the Warriors’ “typical organized chaos.”

“We keep talking about the balance of playing fast but under control,” he said. “I’m just figuring out how we’re going to play this year.” It has nothing to do with what they did in the past. It’s about what our team will do right now to succeed.”

After a first half in which Paul, Curry, and the Warriors appeared to be getting to know each other, the Suns led 61-46.

But, with Curry and Paul back on the floor together to begin the third quarter, something clicked. Curry heated up, demanded more ball, and led the Warriors on a 15-3 run. When he left the game midway through the third quarter, Paul took over.

He made his first field goal, an 11-footer, to end a 0-for-6 streak. After prioritizing everyone else’s shot over his for most of the game — NBA broadcaster Kenny Smith told TNT’s national audience during the halftime show that the Warriors are “too unselfish” — Paul began to attack the rim himself.

He dribbled past two defenders, faked a pass inside to Kevon Looney, and converted a layup while being fouled. As he stood at the free-throw line, the crowd began chanting, “C-P-THREE.”

“It was (surreal),” Paul admitted. “Dario (ari) looked at me and burst out laughing. And I couldn’t stop laughing. That was the first time.”

The Warriors led by eight points after Paul’s hot streak in the third quarter, but Curry fouled out in the fourth, and the Suns stormed back to win a close game.

Nonetheless, the Warriors were upbeat.

“A lot of confidence is building, and we’ll continue to get better,” said Curry, who finished with 27 points while shooting 4-for-14 from 3-point range.

“I’m just excited about it,” Paul explained.

Even after a game in which he had nine assists — his season average last year — Paul is quickly realizing that finding open looks for others may be more difficult than taking them himself. Playing with Curry and Thompson, two of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history, can draw a lot of attention, and Paul frequently found himself wide open from behind the arc.

“The freedom, the pull-up 3’s that I got a chance to shoot tonight, I don’t know,” Paul, who shot 0-for-6 from beyond the arc, said. “When you’re playing with guys that shoot as good as Steph and Klay do, I think the more games we play together, the more and more comfortable I’ll get being aggressive and finding that balance.”

The Warriors “almost have guys who are too unselfish,” Paul agreed, but added, “we’re all getting used to each other.”

“Me and Steph played two totally different ways,” he went on to say. “That’s a big change for a lot of these guys.” It’s a learning experience for us.

“However, you can sense the spirit we have. Spirit is something that cannot be hidden. “I’m really excited about our team.”

According to Kerr, it usually takes 20-25 games for a team to start understanding each other.

“This is just the first glimpse,” he explained. “But it was great to have Chris out there running the show.”