I really don't know how to start this. When a player goes down the way Chris Paul went down tonight, the score, the players, the game don't matter one bit.
The moment Chris Paul went down, the game ceased to be what it once was. The energy left the building, and the Hornets' dominant play from that point forward was notable less for its quality and more for the surreal atmosphere that enveloped it. I've never personally played in a game where a teammate sustained a horrible injury, but I imagine the 15 minutes following Paul's injury were as tough as any the Cavaliers' and Hornets' players have ever played. As Paul lay on the floor in the third quarter, both teams joined together in a moment of prayer. Among other things, David West appeared close to tears.
As far as the injury itself, the collision appeared inconsequential in real-time, but clearly it was much more serious. Ramon Sessions' shoulder appeared to clip Paul on either the head or the neck. Paul immediately collapsed to the floor, and after attempting to lift his neck, realized that something was wrong. While Austin Carr made some jokes about how Paul was "resting," the stretcher was brought out, the medical staff stabilized Paul's neck, and he was carted off. FSOhio reported that Paul was moving his legs, arms, hands, and talking on the way to the hospital, as well as the fact that Byron Scott's wife, Anita, was accompanying him there.
In between all of that, ESPN released an apparently inaccurate report that Paul was out for the season. Less than an hour later, C.J. Paul, Chris' brother, tweeted that Paul was fine and that he "wanted to get off the stretcher and play but they wanted to make sure he was ok." It's unclear at this point if Paul will be held for overnight observation, but in any case, it's a virtual lock that Jarrett Jack will be starting in Chicago tomorrow night.
Best wishes to Chris Paul, his family, and the extended New Orleans Hornets family.