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Chris Paul · Hobbled and hurting in a deadlocked Game 7, Chris Paul had to dig deep. With the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs trying to end the Los Angeles Clippers’ season in the first round, Paul shook off his aching hamstring just long enough to hit one of the biggest shots of his legendary career to send his squad to the Western Conference semifinals. After a pair of Spurs free throws tied the game at 109 with eight seconds left, Paul took a handoff from Blake Griffin and drove strong to his right into the paint despite Danny Green hot in pursuit. When the much taller Tim Duncan drifted over to help deny, it didn’t matter — CP3 let loose a difficult, one-handed jumper while falling away with one second left that went off the glass and found a home at the bottom of the net. Despite playing at less than 100 percent, Paul shot 9 of 13 from the field and 5 of 6 from downtown for a team-high 27 points to pair with six assists in the exhilarating 111-109 win-or-go-home victory on May 2, 2015. · State of Mint