Chris Paul Injury: Clippers Need Star PG at Full Strength to Eliminate Grizzlies

Chris Paul has been virtually unstoppable while leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 3-2 series lead over the Memphis Grizzlies. A groin injury forced him out of last night's game, however, which puts his team's ability to close out the Grizzlies in serious doubt.

Paul is confident he'll be ready to roll for Game 6 on Friday night, according to NBC Sports, but that doesn't mean the Clippers are out of the woods yet. If he's not his usual dynamic self, the Clippers' offense will struggle mightily.

He's averaging 23 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals through the first five games. As impressive as those stats are, watching him completely take over games can't be translated into a stat line. When he gets going, the defense is powerless.

The biggest concern about his groin injury is how it will impact his movement. Paul relies heavily on quickness and agility to create open looks for both himself and his teammates. If that area of his game gets compromised, he simply won't be the same player.

Even though players like Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe are both solid depth pieces, neither of them would have any chance of emulating what Paul can do when completely healthy. So it's basically Paul or nothing for the Clippers.

It's clear the condensed regular season schedule has taken its toll on players. There have already been a bunch of key injuries during the playoffs, most notably that of Derrick Rose, which caused the Bulls to go from contenders to pretenders.

The same can be said about the Clippers and Paul. With him in the lineup, they have the potential to make some noise. If he's forced to miss any time or isn't at full speed, their chances of even making it out of Round 1 drop significantly.

Paul has always had a warrior's mentality, so it would take a lot for him to miss a game. So he'll likely suit up for Friday's game and give everything he can. Groin injuries are tricky to deal with, though, especially for a player like him.

The first quarter of Game 6 will be huge. If Paul performs like the player who carried the Clippers on his back so far, they should be fine. If he doesn't have a full range of motion, things will get shaky as the Grizzlies start sensing blood in the water.

Having a day off to get treatment should help, but only time will tell. All told, the Clippers' advancement is far less certain than it seemed 24 hours ago.