Chris Paul says he's not retiring after Phoenix Suns' season ends in stunning blowout

PHOENIX — For the second straight year, Suns point guard Chris Paul's season came to an end with his team failing to protect a 2-0 series lead en route to a disappointing postseason exit.

And for the second straight year, Paul felt compelled to announce he has no plans to walk away from the game in the immediate aftermath of that devastation.

«You play long enough and you don't win, every time you lose, they're going to say it was your best chance,» said Paul after the Suns' 123-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals Sunday. «But I think for me, us, it's we'll be right back next year. I'll tell you that much.

»I'm not retiring tomorrow, thank God. Hopefully, I'm healthy coming back. But I'm [going to] keep playing."

The way the series went mirrored Paul's play for the Suns. He averaged 23.5 points and just two turnovers in the first two games — including a masterful 14-point fourth quarter in Game 2 — and Phoenix took a 2-0 lead. But in the last five games, all of which came after his 37th birthday on May 6, he averaged 9.4 points and 3.6 turnovers. Phoenix lost four out of five, collapsing in a similar fashion to its NBA finals loss to the Milwaukee Bucks when two wins were followed by four losses.

Paul was ineffective on Sunday, finishing with 10 points and four assists, but not scoring his first field goal until the Suns were already down by 40 points in the third quarter. He literally limped to the finish line, playing through a left quad issue that limited his mobility, sources told ESPN.

While Suns coach Monty Williams, who was named the NBA Coach of the Year earlier this week for guiding Phoenix to a franchise-record 64 wins in the regular season and the No. 1 overall seed