Wanted to throw a random observation out there and pick your guys' brains on it.
So Chris Paul started off 0 for 5 from the floor in the first quarter and was clearly struggling with his shot.
With 8:44 to play in the 2nd quarter, he beat his man and coasted in for an easy layup, but before it actually went in the basket, Daniel House went up and swatted it and got called for goaltending. Paul gets credit for the basket, but the ball actually didn't go through the hoop because of House's action.
Am I giving House too much credit, or did he go up and swat the ball away to keep Paul from actually having the feeling of having that first field goal go in? We all can agree when shooters are cold, they are in the mindset that once that first shot falls, they'll be off and running.
House knocked the ball out of the cylinder and Paul didn't actually score his first basket that actually went through the net for another 6 minutes, until 2:52 remained in the first half and by then Houston was up 19.
Was it just House swatting it to swat it because he got beat or was their intent to keep Paul, a deadly shooter when he gets going, from having the mental reassurance that he had made his first bucket?
Appreciate your thoughts.