Chris Paul of the Clippers admitted Sunday morning he woke up with butterflies.
“Yeah, I guess, every game,” he said.
Playoff jitters are not the same, though, he said.
“It is a different feel,” said Paul, whose team began its Western Conference first-round playoff series Sunday night against the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs.
Paul’s anxiety must have been gone by game time because he played tremendously well in helping the Clippers to a rousing 107-92 victory over the Spurs at Staples Center.
Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is Wednesday night.
The Clippers led by 18 points (79-61) late in the third quarter and by 17 (86-69) early in the fourth before the Spurs cut that to nine (90-81).