Chris Paul Ripped for Game 7 Dud, Ja Morant Calls Suns 'Shook' in Loss to Luka, Mavs

Around this time last year, Chris Paul was rewriting his career narrative as he helped the Phoenix Suns reach the NBA Finals. Now, the future Hall of Famer might be right back at square one.

Phoenix suffered a 123-90 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

To be clear, this was a collective failure from the Suns. Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant summed it up:

Paul was singled out for a lot of criticism because of his marginal impact on the game. He finished with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting and four assists. His first made field goal didn't come until the third quarter when the Suns were trailing by 40 points.

The discussion also centered on what this could mean for Paul with regard to the bigger picture. He's perhaps the greatest player of his generation without a championship ring, though some of that is simply down to rotten luck.

Still, the 37-year-old went to Phoenix with an eye on a title, and it looked like this finally might be his moment. Instead, he has taken a massive step backward in that pursuit.

Absent him taking off one of his shoes and having a seat at half court, it's difficult to envision how this game could've gone worse for Paul.

When CP3 committed to a four-year, $120 million extension, it was both an affirmation of the franchise's status as contenders and a bit of a bargain based on what he contributed in his first season in Phoenix.

In light of recent events, getting Paul to take a partially guaranteed salary ($15.8 million) might come in handy down the road for general manager James Jones.