Windhorst: Chris Paul Instituted Curfew for Suns During Playoff Games in New Orleans

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul reportedly kept his teammates in line in a unique way during the Suns' first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans.

During Friday's episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, ESPN's Windhorst said Paul instituted a curfew for his teammates during road games in New Orleans.

Windhorst noted that the edict came directly from CP3 and not the coaching staff, and it called for players to be back at the hotel by a certain time.

While Windhorst is unsure what time the curfew was set for, Paul reportedly had hotel rooms set up for him and his teammates to watch other NBA playoff games and play cards.

The team apparently responded well to the curfew, as the Suns won the series 4-2 after splitting the first two games at home. Phoenix closed out New Orleans with a 115-109 win Thursday night.

The 36-year-old Paul was the driving force behind Phoenix's series-clinching win, finishing with 33 points on 14-of-14 shooting, along with eight assists and five rebounds.

Paul is among the greatest point guards in NBA history and is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer by virtue of his 12 All-Star nods, 10 All-NBA selections, nine NBA All-Defensive honors, six steals titles, four assist titles and 2005-06 NBA Rookie of the Year honors.

He also ranks third on the NBA's all-time assists list with 10,977 and fourth all-time in steals with 2,453.

Perhaps the only major accomplishment missing from Paul's resume is an NBA championship, which he came agonizingly close to winning last year.

Phoenix held a 2-0 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in last season's NBA Finals, only for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to storm back and win four in a row for the title.

Paul and the Suns played like a team on a mission during the 2021-22 regular season, going 64-18, which was the best record in the NBA by eight games.

The Suns faced and overcame some adversity during the first round of this season's playoffs by playing without Devin Booker for three games because of a hamstring injury, but he returned for Game 6 and should be good to go in the second round.

With Paul making sure his team is locked in, the Suns should be well-prepared for their second-round series against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, which begins Monday night.