Those who know me know I'm not the world's biggest NBA fan. My overall belief of the league is that certain aspects of the game have been legislated out to the point of nonexistence anymore, and it's just not as good as a product as it could be, given the level of talent brought to the table.
With that in mind, I have been and will always be an avid Chris Paul stan. I've loved his game ever since my oldest brother and I drove down to Wake Forest when he was there and I was only eight. Paul has never gotten the respect level he truly deserves and I am here to say that with Phoenix in the finals that y'all better finally recognize or you're just wrong. Try and argue, you'll see that you can't.
Chris Paul is not only a throwback in terms of play style and attitude, but he's the kind of guy that improves things around him wherever he goes. The only reason I won't nickname his King Midas is the championship ring missing from his finger. That said, Paul has the ability to turn any team he joins into a product just short of pure gold.
Let's start with the beginning of his career in New Orleans... oh wait, I mean Oklahoma City. Yeah, everyone loves to talk about how Drew Brees saved the New Orleans Saints after Hurricane Katrina, but because NOLA isn't a huge basketball market, CP3 is often overlooked. The Hornets (now located in Charlotte), were forced out of town from Hurricane Katrina and Chris Paul was the steady force that kept his team from going completely belly-up.
The man led all rookies in points, assists, steals and double-doubles in his first season. The 05 draft class wasn't the strongest the league has ever had, but Paul managed to do this with Deron Williams drafted one spot ahead of him to Utah. Williams career didn't last as long as CP3's, but when he was in his prime that man was a monster, and Paul still beat him in those statistical categories.
His stint in NOLA ended with the Hornets trading him to the LA Clippers so as to get something in return, rather than lose him in Free Agency and get nothing. I'm not even going to say too much on the Clippers. Why? There's only two words I need to say to understand how important Paul was that the franchise remained relevant despite what was going on. What are those two words?
Donald. Sterling.
Moving on. Paul has moved around a couple times since then, and every team he is on has seen intense levels of improvements during his tenure. The Houston Rockets were good prior to Paul's arrival, but were seen as true title contenders and the primary opposition to take out the Golden State dynasty in the Western Conference. If it were not for a hamstring injury in the 2018 playoffs, Houston was favored by many to reach the Finals. Without him, the team fell a part.
After this Paul had a brief layover back in Oklahoma City, this time with the actual local franchise, Thunder. The team was intent on tanking that season. Chris Paul had other ideas. He took a roster that went on to have one of the worst records in the league this season to a mid-level seed in the Western Conference and gave Houston all they could handle in a 7 game series before ultimately being bounced. And who was Paul's closest thing to a Robin that season? Some guy name Luguentz Dort. Try telling me you had heard of Dort before Paul came to OKC. I dare you.
Finally, Paul has led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA finals for only the third time in Franchise history this season. Sure, the Suns have highly talented players in Devin Booker and DeAndre Ayton, but what had those guys done before CP3? Nothing. The team was garbage. Booker put up points but was serving his teammates L's instead of W's. Enter CP3, and everything changes. This team has been the best team in the playoffs from the opening tip. They're fun to watch, the fanbase is all in on them, and everybody has Chris Paul to thank for this.
Chris Paul has never gotten the love he deserves in the national media up until now. And just because he's getting it now doesn't mean that people get to tell me he's always gotten a just level of respect. He hasn't, and it's about damn time that he's getting it.
I could go on for a lot longer about what I love about his game, but I'll save that for another day. I'll close by saying this. If Phoenix ends this season with a title, Paul will have cemented his legacy as the second best point guard in NBA history only behind Magic Johnson. Hard stop. No arguments. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. That's the truth and I won't be told otherwise.
Comments
Post a Comment