The Ascension of Chris Paul

I think it was only a matter of time (after all, I’ve been pumping him up for years), but it looks like Chris Paul is going to be using these playoffs to announce his ascension to the NBA point guard throne. You don’t throw up 32 points and 17 assists on Jason Kidd (even a mid-30’s Jason Kidd) unless you are that player.

Just watch the ESPN video clip of last night’s highlights. Notice how many of the plays involve the common thread of Paul, having the ball in his hands, scoring or finding shots for other players. I mean, look at the other players on his team: Tyson Chandler (who has magically thrived for the first time on Paul’s team), David West (now an NBA All-Star simply by knocking down the mid-range jumpers that Paul finds for him), and Peja (an aging shooter who is suddenly looking like his old self).

So everyone watch carefully as he firmly entrenches himself in the upper tier of NBA stars over the next few weeks. Kobe, Lebron, Tim Duncan, KG, and Chris Paul. That’s it.