Matt Barnes is taking all kinds of liberties in the Western Conference semifinals.
Not only did Barnes come under fire for allegedly crossing a trash-talking line with James Harden's mother, he's also taking announcements out of the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers' medical staff.
The team officially listed injured point guard Chris Paul a game-time decision for Friday's pivotal Game 3 against the Houston Rockets, but Barnes said Friday that Paul is playing.
Barnes proved prophetic, as coach Doc Rivers officially announced that Paul will play in Game 3, albeit under a minutes restriction.
The Clippers managed to split the first two games of the series without Paul, who strained his left hamstring in Game 7 of their first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs. The team has taken a cautious approach given the fickle nature of hamstring injuries.
Barnes on @cp3 "He said he's playing tonight. You just hope he's ready. His game is so much so stop and go."
— Jill Painter Lopez (@jillpainter) May 8, 2015
Having Paul back - even in a limited capacity - is an enormous boon for the Clippers and a potential death knell for the Rockets, who barely escaped a pair of home games with a split even with Austin Rivers at the helm.
Paul averaged 19.7 points, a league-high 10.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals during the regular season. He took on more of a scoring role against the Spurs, averaging 22.7 points, 7.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and two steals.
As a result of his otherworldly creation for teammates and solid defense, the Clippers were 20.9 points per 100 possessions better with Paul on the floor this year.
Adding him back to the lineup could neutralize the ball-denial, perimeter-containment strategy the Rockets used to slow down Blake Griffin in Game 2, and could expose their lack of point guard depth with Patrick Beverley still on the shelf.
