With Chris Paul likely out for playoffs, how far can Clippers go?

Steph Curry MRI Reveals Grade 1 MCL Sprain In Knee

WXIA 12:07 PM. GMT April 26, 2016

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul is likely to miss the remainder of the playoffs after breaking the third metacarpal in his right hand on Monday night.

Paul, who injured the hand while attempting to swipe the ball away from the Portland Trail Blazers guadGerald Henderson in the third quarter of Game 4 of their first-round series, left the Moda Center with a cast on his hand and his arm in a sling. According to a person with knowledge of Pauls situation, the Clippers do not expect Paul to be able to return in the postseason. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because a final diagnosis had not yet been made.

And with that, these NBA playoffs took yet another turn for the worse.

Pauls injury came just hours after the Golden State Warriors had learned the severity of Stephen Currys right knee injury that was suffered at Houston on Sunday. The reigning MVP suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, thus giving the defending-champion Warriors every reason to wonder if they could somehow survive a potential second-round series against the Clippers without him.

Who knew Golden State would wind up looking like the lucky ones?

Not only are the Clippers now without their MVP-caliber point guard, but forward Blake Griffin appeared to re-aggravate a quadriceps injury in the Blazers 98-84 win that tied the series 2-2. The potential ripple effect of this situation could be monumental, as this was seen by many as the Clippers last, best chance to prove to the basketball world that their Paul-Griffin-DeAndre Jordan core was championship-caliber.

The answers to those questions, however, will come later. In the here and the now, the Clippers will see how far their embattled squad can go.

Paul was coming off a superb season, having helped lead the Clippers through the adversity of the Griffin incident in late December in which he broke his hand during an altercation with a member of the team"s equipment staffwhile averaging 19.5 points, 10 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Despite not having their All-Star forward for 47 games because of the quad injury and broken hand, the Clippers finished fourth in the Western Conference (53-29).

Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @sam_amick.

Source: http://www.11alive.com/news/nation-now/with-chris-paul-likely-out-for-playoffs-how-far-can-clippers-go/153545290