The Playoffs Belong to Paul

By MARC SPEARS,
AOL
Posted: 2008-04-25 16:45:11
Filed Under: NBA
Sports Commentary

Have you seen that NBA player making layups wearing a glass slipper?

His name is Chris Paul. And with this NBA MVP candidate leading the way, the New Orleans Hornets are these playoffs' potential Cinderella story.


"Every game we go out I feel like we're supposed to win ... ," Paul said. "I feel like every night when we go out if we do what we're supposed to, we're supposed to win."

It's hard to historically come up with an NBA team that has had as great a regular-season record as the Hornets have, yet has had so little belief placed in it. That being said, there were numerous reasons to still doubt one of the most surprising teams the NBA has seen.

The Hornets entered this season back in Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans after playing the previous two seasons primarily in Oklahoma City. With Paul leading the way, New Orleans was expected to be a playoff contender, not a Western Conference power. The Hornets also had not been to the playoffs since 2004, and in a deep and talented West it wasn't going to be easy to get back.

But since the season started, the Hornets quietly made headlines with Paul and forward David West leading them to win after win after win. Having a healthy Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler in their starting lineup didn't hurt either. But even though New Orleans was hot, having the likes of San Antonio, Dallas and Houston in their brutal Southwest Division made it tough for anyone outside of New Orleans to believe.

"(Teams) may (respect us). They may not," Paul said. "It really doesn't matter."

As the NBA All-Star break arrived in New Orleans, the Hornets had two All-Stars in Paul and West. And with the West's best record, coach Byron Scott was able to land the honor of coaching the team. Even still, the believers outside of New Orleans were very few at that point.

As the regular-season ended, the Hornets surprisingly finished with the Southwest title and the second-seed in the Western Conference playoffs. But what New Orleans did not have was much postseason experience, most notably Paul, who had yet to play in a single playoff game. The Hornets' first round foe is also the seventh-seed Dallas Mavericks, who went to the NBA Finals in 2006, had a roster loaded with playoff experience, and were led by two All-Stars in point guard Jason Kidd and forward Dirk Nowitzki.

"I was really looking forward to this opportunity," said Paul, who averaged 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game in the regular season. "I talked to a lot of people, my teammates, my coaches. And they said to just play your game and have fun and let everything else take care of itself."

Led by Paul's 35 points and 10 assists in his playoff debut, the Hornets gained confidence by coming from behind to win Game 1, 104-92, in New Orleans. Imagine how CP3 would have played if he wasn't nervous at the beginning. As tough as it may seem, Paul was even better in Game 2 as he earned a mammoth double-double of 32 points and 17 assists in a 127-103 rout of Dallas in New Orleans.

"He's been pretty good," Scott said. "I think he's averaging about 34 a game and about 14 assists. He's doing pretty good. Magic (Johnson) was a triple-double type guy every single night it seems like.


"Sitting there and watching Chris really develop into the best point guard in this league is amazing to watch how he has just risen his game to another level for the playoffs," continued Scott. "That's what great players do. I think that he's definitely one of the best players in this league right now."

Said Mavericks guard Jason Terry: "You're not really going to stop him. You've just got to make him work and limit him getting other people the ball."

The Hornets still have a long way to go to switch over the non-believers. In Game 3 tonight, New Orleans will have to face its next challenge of playing in the postseason on the road in front of a tough Dallas crowd. If New Orleans wins this series, either the reigning champion Spurs or the star-laden Phoenix Suns will be waiting next. And it won't get any easier if the Hornets don't get stepped on before the Western Conference Finals.

Sure, numerous NBA fans, and probably the NBA itself, want to see the Los Angeles Lakers against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. Basketball purists like myself can't see someone beating the Spurs four times in a seven-game series to keep them from returning to the Finals. But considering how far the Hornets have come thus far, you'd be a fool not to keep an eye on the glass slipper wearing Paul and the Cinderella Hornets the rest of the way.

"In this league it doesn't matter who you play on any given night," Paul said. "We're all professionals. You never know who's going to win."

Marc J. Spears, who writes a weekly NBA column for AOL Sports, is in his ninth season covering the NBA and currently writes about the NBA and the Boston Celtics for the Boston Globe.

2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
2008-04-25 11:39:30


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taichidawei 11:21:58 AM May 12 2008

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the only way they can beat the spurs is if timmy has a 103 degree temp, last 2 games proves it, lets see how good they do in the big easy.

mmccrossen 05:38:00 PM May 06 2008

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at 23 years old, nobody has done what CP3 has done. Point guard, Scorer,Steal LEADER,Assist leader, TEAM LEADER CIVIC LEADER SPARKEY IN NOLA

amberis4lsu 12:53:50 AM May 05 2008

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GEAUX HORNETS!

SholomGootzeit 07:35:20 PM Apr 28 2008

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The unsung hero here is Byron Scot, he is in New Jersey, and two straight years they end up in the finals, he goes to New Orleans, and magically, that team has the second seed in the West. He is modest, and brilliant. He knows how to pace a team through a brutal NBA season, and go deep into the playoffs. It is no accident that CP3 is the best guard in the NBA, come to think about it, wasn't Kidd the best guard in the NBA when Scott coached him in New Jersey? Didn't Kidd kind of talk the management in New Jersey to get rid of Scott...ironic.

yokoach 06:40:13 PM Apr 28 2008

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I wonder what would happen if both Bynum and Ariza were back and healthy to bolster Lakers defense....

deepfire32 10:51:54 PM Apr 27 2008

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N.O's running their division this year. What a comeback seeing as to how they were considerin removing them from the dome to Oklahoma, if they didn't average a certain attendance this year. I doubt that that would've worked out anyway.

mgraber16 12:39:56 PM Apr 25 2008

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The whole cinderella glass slipper thing is so played out in basketball, I mean you have to love the underdog and all, but still come up with something new already, im pretty sure that a bunch of athletes dont really like being referred to as cinderella, so quit ******* using that stupid ass metaphor.

paphe6 12:33:46 PM Apr 25 2008

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A great player, indeed.
The Hornets will go as far as CP3 will take them;
He is the motivator, engine and heart of the team even do they have quite a few decent players they are not superstars like Kobe that has Gasol, Odom and Fisher;
In fact , Gasol is a superstar on his own right;
Botton line, CP3 deserves the MVP.

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