Chris Paul Is A Magician
Friday, May 09, 2008
Most of us grew up during one of the best eras of NBA Basketball and because of that I think we're spoiled. Some of us got to enjoy Kareem, Barkley, Olajuwon, Malone, Stockton, Pippen, Malone, O'Neal, Bird, Drexler, Ewing, Magic, and Jordan in our lifetimes.
Us NBA heads are enjoying a renaissance of sorts in the NBA and while Lebron and Kobe continue to amaze there isn't a player I've been this excited about in quite some time. Chris Paul is like a combination of Stockton, Magic, and Jordan....but completely different (if that makes any sense). The kid is just out of his mind.....
Go back to the beginning and watch that full speed again. You'll thank me for it. I'll wait......
35 points and 9 assists? Are you kidding me?!?! I know that doesn't approach his best game, but in San Antonio that's crazy. By the end of the game both Paul and Parker were shaking their heads at each other. Even though the Spurs decided to come and play tonight, and the Hornets went down.....I just can't take my eyes off him. It's a good thing the kid is sponsored by Jordan if you ask me. This is the only series in the NBA Playoffs that matters right now, and it's the only one you should be watching.
(Also, Dan Shulman and Doris Burke are a great NBA Announcing team and I'm glad that Burke finally realized her potential. I love her "Oh!" as that Paul shot goes in.)
14 Comments:
I confess I'm not much of an NBA fan so I haven't seen any of her games, but I'm glad Doris Burke has graduated from the sidelines to the 'booth.' She's been a really good sideline analyst in college bball for a few years now -- reporting on on-the-court performance and strategies, not off-the-court happenings like a lot of sideline reporting tends to focus on.
Shulman is also one of my favorite bball announcers -- calls the action very cleanly and has a nice, subtle sense of humor.
Oh yeah, and that was a ridonkulous play by Chris Paul. I should watch him play more...
Are you referring to both Malones we grew up with. I am pretty sure one is Karl, but is the other Jeff or Moses?
Chris Paul is putting up some tremendous performances. There was a play prior to that one in which he went into the lane and somehow scored on fellow Demon Deacon Tim Duncan with a scoop underneath. He looks every bit like he is going to be a superstar. Then again they thought the same thing about Dwayne Wade but he got injured and his team was blown up.
Agreed. Shulman and Burke are a great team and make the game much better to watch - if you can get over the Spurs continuous whining and flopping. THey are a hard team to pull for. On the other hand, NO is a team easy to pull for. Paul is sick.
Doris is very solid, it's nice to see.
Isn't it weird that, of the 6 best players in the NBA, 4 came out of high school and the other 2 went to Wake Forest???
I agree on Shulman-Burke. Good combo for the playoffs. It's fine by me, if it means hearing less of Van Gundy's random thoughts, I'm all for it.
I can't say that I agree that Doris Burke is a good color commentator.
Calling Out Doris Burke on David West
Chris Paul is extraordinarily gifted. What nobody seems to mention is that he is also, bar none, the most egregious 'flopper' ever to have (dis)graced the league.
Hopefully he'll mature out of this, but at a time when the fans are grumbling about seven-foot athletes who fall over in a gentle breeze Paul appears to be practicing his floor routine for the Olympic mixed gymnastics competition. This kid doesn't just flop - he pinballs around the floor without even being nudged. It's absolutely astonishing. And nobody calls him on it.
Chris Paul is overrated. Seriously. He's pulling a Dwyane Wade, "give him the ball every time because nobody else on his team can create his own shot...put up stats for awhile...conclude that he is unstoppable...then compare him to the greatest players ever." I hate the Pistons with a passion, but I'm not ready to say Paul is better than Isiah. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Calm the [Ozzie Guillen] down, people.
Big fan of Doris Burke ... she had a unique, relevant comment after every bucket last night ... EVERY bucket ... To me, she was exactly what you hope for out of an analyst, and she worked well with Shulman ...
I'm a lifelong Spurs fan and this is the first time that I have actually watched Paul play an entire game since college. And, I could not agree with the post more. We are watching the best point guard since Magic. He is Magic, Jordan, and Isiah combined. He is a guy who will win several MVPs and probably lead the Hornets to a championship at some point. Only player in the league who MIGHT be better is Kobe, and I even question that after witnessing Paul's wizardry. Now, to an issue much more controversial, Tony Parker is the most underrated player in the league and has been robbed by the All-NBA team. He torched Nash in the last round, is almost matching Paul step for step, and is clearly the 2nd best PG in the league. He is just overshadowed by Tim and Manu, and did not even make 3rd team All-NBA. That is a robbery. Parker is an amazing player too. No way are Nash or Deron Williams better than Parker, not even close.
Doris Burke is marginal at best. She over analyzes and her voice makes me crazy. Stick to the WNBA.
haha, you think doris burke is good, did you want everyone to lose their respect for you or what?
"Chris Paul is like a combination of Stockton, Magic, and Jordan....but completely different (if that makes any sense)."
For a blog that craps on ESPN analysts, you'd swear that was a Jalen Rose quote.
I've loved Paul's game for a while now. Hell I swore off the Hawks when they didn't draft him. My problem is when a guy has a great run we want to crown him as elite.
Paul will get there, but I need more than just this.