It seems like Chris Paul relishes the notion of being the underdog.

That’s why, when the Western Conference semifinals were over and the Suns had swept their way into the NBA’s final four, he talked about how he felt written off a couple of seasons ago. Why he talked about spending two years on his high school’s junior varsity team. How he wasn’t, in his words, “necessarily supposed to be here.”

It’s a neat narrative. But it’s not reality.

Fact is, this is exactly where Paul and the Suns are supposed to be. He’s still elite at what he does. He’s helped take the Suns to levels few thought they could reach in Year 1 of his tenure in the valley. They’re headed to the West finals against the top-seeded Jazz or fourth-seeded Clippers, a matchup that’ll start early next week, and there will be no shortage of experts picking the Suns to go from there to the NBA Finals.

“I’ve always had to grind, and I like that mentality, and that’s always been who I’ve been, and I’m going to stay that way,” Paul said. “If you like it, cool. If you don’t, it’s cool too.”

He’s a grinder, yes, but make no mistake — he’s a wildly successful grinder.

It is true that Paul spent two years on the JV team at West Forsyth High in Clemmons, North Carolina. It’s also true that he became a McDonald’s All-American and a five-star recruit there before signing with Wake Forest, was a top-five draft pick and then ultimately an NBA rookie of the year.

His isn’t exactly an out-of-nowhere success story.

And again, to be fair, there were questions whether Paul’s realistic window for winning a championship had closed after his hamstring betrayed him and the Rockets couldn’t win Games 6 or 7 of the 2018 West finals against the Warriors. He was also in Year 1 of a four-year, $159.7 million contract at that time, so it’s not like everyone had given up on him. He’s earned more in NBA salary than anyone other than LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.

Consider this line from Nuggets coach Michael Malone, offered up Sunday night after Paul scored 37 points to help the Suns finish off their sweep, the first 4-0 series win of Paul’s career: “Chris Paul could arguably be the greatest point guard of all time.”

Paul is no underdog.

The Suns, now they’re the underdog story.

The Suns hadn’t made the playoffs in 11 years before this run. Monty Williams hadn’t won a playoff series as a head coach until this season. They have exactly one player on the roster — Jae Crowder — who has been to the NBA Finals, after he got there last season with the Heat. They’re four wins from the finals, eight wins from winning the whole thing, and needed just 10 games to eliminate both the 2020 champion Lakers and a Nuggets team that lost to those Lakers in the West finals last season.

Paul got traded to the Suns in November. The Suns haven’t been the same since.

Devin Booker — who says he often sits and just listens to Paul talk, soaking up every word of whatever that day’s lesson is — finally has reached the big stage and is thriving, averaging 27.9 points in his first 10 postseason games. Deandre Ayton, who credits the 36-year-old Paul for helping him change up his weightlifting regimen, is shooting 72% in his first postseason run.

Paul’s high school teams never won a state championship. His Wake Forest teams didn’t make a Final Four. And he’s still never been to an NBA Finals.

If that led some to count him out, whatever that means, maybe it’s understandable.

But nobody should count him out now.

Irving out for Game 5: Nets point guard Kyrie Irving will miss Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal against the Bucks on Tuesday with a sprained right ankle, coach Steve Nash said Monday.

Irving, hurt in the Nets’ Game 4 loss Sunday, had an MRI that showed the sprain.

Nash added that he has “no idea” whether Irving will be able to return in this series, which is tied 2-2.

Nash said that James Harden (hamstring) is working out but he didn’t yet know his status for Game 5. Harden has been out since the first minute of the series opener.