It's obvious that Chris Paul has had a storybook season. He's one of the best point guards in the league right now and his team has entered the ranks of the elite primarily because he is such a great decision maker on the floor and gets his teammates involved in ways that make it easy for them to put the ball in the bucket.
In a nutshell, he's a 6-foot-2 Magic Johnson. And he performs like him because he's being coached by Magic's former teammate Byron Scott, who's instilled a little bit of Showtime in the New Orleans Hornets' system.
But what makes the Hornets great? What makes them difficult to defend? And above all, what makes them the complete and balanced team that they are, causing the defending champions to dig deeper into their strategic arsenal more than ever before?
A lot of it is due to Paul's floor leadership and a lot of it can also be attributed to the emergence of power forward David West as an All-Star performer. Paul and West provide the offense with that perfect inside-outside combo. A one-two punch, a la John Stockton-Karl Malone, if you will.
West can hit the mid range. He has a low post game. He can dribble drive. Meanwhile, Paul is all over the floor doing his thing. And his outside shot is vastly improving. Then you add a high flying center like Tyson Chandler and all of a sudden you have someone to take the load off your Big Two who grabs all the rebounds, blocks all the shots, solidifies the paint, and catches all the alley-oops.
But the player who brings it all together is Peja Stojakovic. While CP3, West, and Chandler fulfill their roles on a nightly basis, it's Peja who stretches opponents' defenses. It's Peja whom you have to chase around to make sure he doesn't drop three point daggers all night long. It's Peja whom you have to worry about because once he gets going, it opens up the entire floor for CP3 to create and find his other players for even easier buckets.
But when you stop Peja from doing his thing, chances are you'll defeat the Hornets with little problem. The Hornets have lost 11 games this season (including last night's loss to the Spurs) to some of the most competitive teams in the NBA and the numbers are revealing.
11/9/07: San Antonio 97, Hornets 85 - Peja 2 pts on 1-6 shooting; Paul 18 pts and 9 assists
11/7/07: Portland 93, Hornets 90 - Peja 5 pts on 2-13 shooting; Paul 18 pts and 12 assists
11/23/07: Utah 99, Hornets 71 - Peja 3 pts on 1-6 shooting; Paul 15 pts and 6 assists
12/14/07: Dallas 89, Hornets 80 - Peja 10 pts on 4-11 shooting; Paul 22 pts and 3 assists
1/9/08: Lakers 109, Hornets 80 - Peja 9 pts on 4-11 shooting; Paul 32 pts and 5 assists
2/4/08: Utah 110, Hornets 88 - Peja 10 pts on 5-9 shooting, Paul 6 pts and 6 assists
2/22/08: Houston 100, Hornets 80 - Peja 8 pts on 3-10 shooting; Paul 14 pts and 11 assists
2/23/08: San Antonio 98, Hornets 89 - Peja 11 pts on 3-9 shooting; Paul 27 pts and 4 assists
2/25/08: Washington 95, Hornets 92 - Peja 11 pts on 4-16 shooting; Paul 22 pts and 8 assists
3/8/08: Houston 106, Hornets 96 - Peja 13 pts on 5-14 shooting; Paul 37 pts and 11 assists
5/8/08: San Antonio 110, Hornets 99 - Peja 8 pts on 2-7 shooting; Paul 35 pts and 9 assists
Final Tally: 11 losses - Peja 8.1 ppg, 35-112 field goals, 31% versus season averages of 16.1 ppg and 44% FG's
Meanwhile Chris Paul, who averaged 21.1 ppg and 11.6 apg during the season, still averaged 22.4 ppg and 7.6 apg in those 11 losses, which were games against very solid teams.
Notice how the Hornets only averaged 86 pts per game in those losses, which is down significantly from their regular season team average of 100.9 ppg. They gave up 100.5 in the 11 games, suggesting that if opponents contain Peja the Hornets' offense staggers and become a little more predictable and easier to defend.
Also notice that in the losses, Chris Paul's assist production slipped by 4 per game. Well... surprise, surprise!! In this case, the numbers sure don't lie! Those four assists that Paul lost each game add up to be about 8-10 Stojakovic points. Add those 8-10 points to Peja's average of 8.1 ppg in those losses and wala, you wind up with Peja's normal averages of 16-18 points per contest when the Hornets win games.
This observation is not a coincidence folks. I'm sure the San Antonio Spurs' coaching staff noticed this trend from their scouting reports and especially after analyzing their first two games of the series.
Next thing you know, Coach Gregg Popovich makes the adjustment of the series and switches defender deluxe Bruce Bowen back on Stojakovic. Coincidentally enough (or not) Peja has a bad game.
The defending champions have finally won a game. They have figured some things out. They have exposed the major weakness of the New Orleans Hornets . The Spurs have now forced their young challengers to make an adjustment and rethink their strategy.
excellent!!!
i don't have a thing to say about this. i can't refute any of your findings, and why even try???
i agree completely. the inside-outside game will make any defense honest.
J-DIZZLE
Is there really a way to stop Paul deifnitively and effectively ? Even when he's had a marginal game by his own lofty standards. He's found a way for his teammates to come to the fore. Thankfully last night that wasn't the case against the Spurs. I've alluded to that fact in my response to you in the piece that I'd written. Thanks for the comments there by the way !
Avid Spurs' and just as avid a martial arts fan. Both Bruce Lee and Jet Li are my favorite practitioners of the art. Taught karate to members of the British military whilst serving in the army there. And saw action whilst serving in N Ireland in the early eighties. Wasn't fun I can tell you that. Chimin' out.
GAMESTORMC2C, NIQUE, HOFFMAN, and RAMOGRIFF: Thank you all for stopping by. Part of the reason I wanted to do this piece was to also let Kobe doubters know why the majority of voters probably chose Kobe for MVP instead of Paul.
RAMPANTFANATIC: There is no way to stop Paul definitely and effectively. But you can make him less of an overall impact by forcing his best weapons to play out of their comfort zone.
This is what happened to Peja last night and lo and behold, Paul only has nine assists instead of the usual 12-15 he's been getting in the playoffs.
Speaking of martial arts, I used to train with Ernie Reyes Jr. and Sr. back in the eighties. He was the karate kicking pizza boy in the earlier Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies, he appeared along with his dad in Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon and he had his own martial arts show, Sidekicks, in the eighties.
Good stuff regarding your experience! Martial Arts isn't fun sometimes, it's difficult, and it's consuming but overall it makes you a stronger person both inside and out. THanks for comin' by.
J-DIZZLE
I still enjoy to practice now and I teach kid the art itself locally. However the thought process and teaching here is unlike the way it is Britain.
There's toom much emphasis here placed on style rather than susbtance and to an extent discipline. But then again that's also based on the styles that are being taught.
I've learned the styles of Ishin Ryu, Wado Ryu, as well as savate , tae-kwondo fighting forms. A lot of my time has been spent studying Eastern culture and that of the Chinese and Japanese in particular. I find their whole way of life and well being fascinating.
Something of an eclectic lifestyle considering my familial background. Born and raised in the UK of Caribbean parents. I've lived in Paris , France for a few years and having served in the military . I was stationed in N Africa before being sent to N Ireland to see some action there.
I've now got a younger brother serving in the British military in Iraq. As you may well be aware they're down in the southern part of the country.
I can't remember if he's on his second or third tour of duty there at this juncture. But he's been there long enough as far as I'm concerned. His kids miss him as well as the other immediate members of the family. Chimin' out.
I do agree with you that it is Peja and his constant sniping that create room for the whole offense of NO. His relentless 3balls makes spaces for DWest and CP3 to maneuver freely in the painted area. When Peja is hot, the rotation will naturally extend the defense far from the zone. As it is, CP3 a remarkable one on one player when the zone is clear can create for himself,DWest and TChandler. If i will be the opposing coach, i can let CP3 creates for himself rather than create for other Hornets stalwarts, since there are few players who can really contain CP3 one on one.
JDIZZLE...I completely agree with your blog, great work by the way! But what I disagree with is what you commented on...
"why the majority of voters probably chose Kobe for MVP instead of Paul"
my interpretation of that is, if Peja didn't have all of those off games, Paul's stats would be even higher, Hornets would have won more games, and Paul would have won MVP....all of this on one individual?
J-DIZZLE,
You might have not been more correct in your life than what you have just stated above. Like I said in a comment back at you on my last post,glad someone else recognized this fact. Great post by the way.
People on various Spurs boards have been suggesting this for days. We were glad Pop finally did it. I just wonder if it would have been different if he had done it earlier.
I hope he has been a winner. BTW, I saw his profile on a HOT celebrity & millionaire dating site called 'RICHMATCHMAKING.COM'. He even wrote blog, thousands of hotties leave him msg.
rampantfanatic,
I'm an Iraqi vet myself (FOB Ar-Ramadi, Al-Anbar providence)I will keep your brother in my thoughts and prayers (if it's all right with you).
BTW I'm half Scots my self (Go "Gers!!).
Last edited by ThaBullDawg on May 9th at 10:34 PM.
NWHATDHECK: Like Kobe, CP3 cannot be stopped one on one, whether you man up or play zone. I think he's proven that all year. He's too cerebral a player.
ATTITUDE70: A lot of people will disagree with me on the argument of MVP. Chris Paul is deserving but I believe Kobe is more deserving. But this argument has gone on way too long. The only other time we can revisit this argument is if the Hornets and the Lakers meet in the West Finals.
I like your Magic's resolve. They came out and compteted in Game Three. What your outlook for Games Four and Five, in the event Billups can't play?
MEANDOVINE: Thanks bro, once again, for stoppin' by and sayin' what's up.!!
GAMBITXXX: Thanks. I believe not too many fans and even coaches see little trends like that. I believe that it's the assistant coaches' job to notice these things if the head coach doesn't.
If you recall, on May 4th right after Game One, I wrote a blog on what the Spurs should do to beat the Hornets in Game Two.
The first thing I said was that the Spurs ought to take Bowen off of Paul and put him on Peja. I noticed this right away after Game One when Paul didn't even seem rattled by Bruce Bowen. That's when I knew that no matter who you put on CP3, he was still going to do his damage.
SPURCSE: Please read my blog on May 4, which I wrote in response to game one of the series. It's titled "What the Spurs need to do to quiet Hornets' Buzz"
TCBDOG: Glad you noticed the same thing. A lot of people here want you to back things up with statistics although I'm a believer that statistics do not tell the entire story.
But on this one, I knew I had to pull some numbers out of the hat for you guys.
UC IRVINE graduate and proud to be an ANTEATER. My claim to fame is having played against the likes of Tayshaun and Tommie Prince, Jacque Vaughn, and Charles O'Bannon, plus getting dunked on by Schea Cotton in a CIF second round match in the nineties.
WIDELY KNOWN on FOX as one of the most biased LAKER HOMERS in blog history, highly criticized for hating on the PHOENIX SUNS fan base, and has been told on more than one occasion that LAMAR ODOM isn't worth the suit he's wearing.
Believe that "excellence is not an act but a habit."
Believe that the things you do and the things you don't do, they all send a message.
Believe that in order to know the world one must first know thyself.
And believe that it's the journey not the destination.
Finally, as the great Bruce Lee once said, "Man - he is constantly growing and when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or way of doing things, that's when he stops growing."
This is the Way of the Dragon. Embrace it.
