Chris Paul and Blake Griffin can still be the most compelling 2-man combination in the NBA

The NBA is full of amazing two-man combinations right now. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook rival Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan hit a high level during the regular season, and Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge complement each other well. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are a vicious 1-2 offensive punch. Likewise is the case for Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, or Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.

Those first two combos mentioned -- Durant-Westbrook and Curry-Green -- are certainly the best in the league right now. The Thunder duo might both finish top-five in MVP balloting. Green isn’t going to get a ton of MVP votes, but he might join Curry on first team All-NBA. Westbrook and Durant are a two-headed dragon impossible to slay. If the Thunder lose, it’s nearly always because the supporting cast can’t hold up their end of the bargain. Curry and Green are famously synergistic, with the burly forward springing the sweet shooter for many of his looks while acting as a body man and pressure release valve. Curry and Green also have Klay Thompson as the best No. 3 man in the game.

But for my money, no combo holds more allure than Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

The CP3-Griffin duo combines the fluent synergy of Curry-Green and the scoring punch of Durant-Westbrook. Like the Thunder couplet, either CP3 or Griffin can straight up beat you one-on-one. But at their best, they are feeding off each other, whether that’s a textbook pick-and-roll, a backdoor cut or a curl. Durant and Westbrook do rack up assists feeding each other, but it’s a bit more chaotic for OKC. Westbrook is a manic attacker, Durant a smooth assassin. Their work together is complementary more than interwoven. Neither needs the other to be his best.

CP3 is, however, clearly better with a dunking, driving foil alongside him. The Clippers survived well during Griffin’s prolonged absence, as DeAndre Jordan stepped up his game on both ends and J.J. Redick continued to shoot the lights out. But as LA’s Game 1 trouncing of the Blazers showed, CP3 loves having Griffin out there with him. It lets Paul take bigger risks, knowing his target is capable of scoring from anywhere inside 18 feet. It lets CP3 set up the opposing defense, suggesting one trick is coming before delivering a completely different strike.

Green in isolation is rarely a concern for defenses. Of all the poisons the Warriors can pour down your throat, a face-up Draymond against a balanced defense is among the least dangerous. It can still kill you, of course, but at least it’s not Curry in single coverage, Thompson off a curl or even Shaun Livingston in the post. The same doesn’t apply to Griffin in isolation. He has such a rare combo of ball skills, size and agility that he’s instant death in a one-on-one face-up situation -- unless he’s fully in love with the jab-step jumper on a given day, and perhaps even then.

There are advantages and disadvantages to synergy between an elite duo. For the Thunder pair, their immense individuality pays dividends when one is resting. They are helped when the other is present, but a lineup without Durant or without Westbrook is still typically a strong lineup. For the Warriors, the spectacular nature of the roster shrouds everything, as does the fact that Curry rarely plays without Green on the floor with him. But given that small sample, the Warriors’ performance drops off in a major way when only one of the pair is on the court. The problem for opponents is that the Warriors’ performance when Curry and Green are both out there is completely, utterly dominant.

This is the allure of CP3-Griffin: they possess the individual power to smoke defenders alone and the synergistic skills to create impossible problems for opposing teams. This is what killed the Spurs a year ago: Paul and Griffin were relentless together and solo. CP3 ground Tony Parker to powder, while Griffin twisted Boris Diaw into knots. Together, they flummoxed the Gregg Popovich defense.

Can they do that to the Warriors’ equally good defense? Is there enough time left in LA’s first-round series against Portland to regain the fluidity with which the Clippers struck down San Antonio? Game 1 was a great sign, but doing it to Damian Lillard and Mason Plumlee isn’t the same as doing it to Golden State.

Of course, the Clippers combo could wildly succeed and still get bent up on the other end. CP3 is an All-Defense talent, but no one stops Steph. Redick has improved a great deal as a defender, but Klay will be an incredible challenge. The small forward matchup is lopsided no matter what you think of Harrison Barnes. Green has physicality to either get under Griffin’s skin or get him in foul trouble. The Warriors are too good on offense for even the Clippers’ No. 5 defense to expect victory on that end.

Thus, the CP3-Griffin will have to maximize their unique nature for the Clippers to have a shot at being the Warriors in Round 2. And yes, we’re getting way ahead of ourselves, given both LA and Golden State each need three more wins to get there.

But that’s what CP3 and Griffin make us do when they look so tremendous, as together as they did on Sunday. They make us dream anything is possible for the Clippers.

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