The Story Behind Chris Paul Becoming The Story Of The Lakers Series

Kobe Bryant had one of the worst playoff games of his career and Pau Gasol was invisible for the second game in a row, but even with their two superstars struggling, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Orleans Hornets Tuesday night in Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs.

Just as amazing: Even with two superstars struggling and the defending champs looking as vulnerable as ever, the story of Game 2 was still Chris Paul. The Lakers will inspire all sorts of questions leading up to Game 3, like “Are they too distracted?” and “Is Kobe too old?” or “Is Pau too soft?” and best of all, “Is Khloe Kardashian ruining Lamar Odom?“

This is what happens anytime the Lakers look even a little bit vulnerable, so it’s no surprise. But L.A.‘s struggles against the Hornets indicate less about the Lakers, themselves, and more about Chris Paul and what he’s capable of as an NBA superstar. Just look at Kobe.

Yeah, Trevor Ariza played great defense and held him to one of the quietest playoff showing’s we’ve seen in years, but just as much credit goes to Paul. After eating Derek Fisher alive in Game 1, Phil Jackson played Kobe onto him in Game 2 to try and contain him.

The plan worked to some degree; with Kobe guarding him and Phil Jackson doubling him on the perimeter with the Lakers big guys, Paul wasn’t quite as dominant Wednesday. Instead of 33 points and 14 assists, he had 20 and 9. Like going from an A-plus to an A-minus.

But for all the success against Paul, the Lakers lost some scoring, too. Kobe only took 10 shots all night long—the last time he took that few was in January, during a 55-point blowout of the Cavs. As Wednesday’s game unfolded, Kobe looked completely out of rhythm, and for most of the game, he just looked resigned to a secondary role.

To repeat: Kobe Bryant, probably the most pathologically competitive superstar we’ve ever seen, and also one of the most selfish, was resigned to playing second fiddle. Think about how crazy that is. That’s like Charles Barkley walking away from a buffet and with just a plate of salad.

When something like that happens, you know something’s up.

Indeed, Chris Paul was up and down and pretty much everywhere, all night long, and Kobe spent so much of the game containing CP3 on one end that he didn’t have the energy to battle a good defender on the other. In other words, Paul’s so deadly on offense right now, he helps the defense, too. That’s the sort of thing that only the greatest players do, and in case you’d doubted him after his injury last year, Chris Paul’s giving the entire NBA one, big reminder that he’s absolutely in that category.

For all the worries that he’d never be the same after that knee injury, he’s been the best player on either team over the first two games, and in series that sort of boils down to David vs. the Defending Champs, it’s a stalemate so far. But what Paul’s done in L.A. is bigger than a first round playoff series. In the Year of Derrick Rose, Paul’s reminded everyone that when all’s said and done, he’s still the best pure point guard in basketball.

(Not a knock on D-Rose there, just... In terms of style, Rose is much closer to a Dwyane Wade-type killer than a true, playmaking point guard. Paul can kill you without ever pulling the trigger, himself.)

Eventually, though, even the greatest point guard can only do so much. Ask Steve Nash in Phoenix. That’s true of Paul, too. As good as he’s been so far, his teammates still don’t hold a candle to L.A., and it’s only a matter of time before reality sets in. And that’s where A) The Lakers series gets boring and B) The Chris Paul story gets interesting.

Because he’ll be a free agent after next season, and now that we know he’s back to normal, we’re talking about a player that can sway balance of power in the entire league.

For instance, imagine Chris Paul next to Carmelo and Amar’e in New York a year. Doesn’t that team blow the Lakers out of the water if they all stay healthy? Or going to the Blazers, and running the show with Lamarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace for the next five years.

Or what if the Thunder flame out in this year’s playoffs and Sam Presti decides to break up Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? Wouldn’t Chris Paul make them instant favorites? Now that we know Paul’s healthy and as good as he was during that playoff run in 2008, it’s hard not to play with the hypotheticals. The possibilities are endless.

But you know where this could get really interesting? If the Hornets trade Chris Paul before he has the chance to leave. Mind you, the NBA owns the Hornets right now. If they want to maximize the value of the Hornets for potential buyers, it helps to have Chris Paul around. Of course, if they want to keep Chris Paul around, the Hornets need to spend money they don’t have.

When New Orleans took on even a little bit of extra salary to add Carl Landry at the trade deadline, Mark Cuban went nuts. An extra expenses in New Orleans comes straight out of the other owners’ pocket. So... Imagine if the Hornets took on salary and a superstar that not only cost other owners money, but made their teams less competitive. Not gonna happen, right?

Which means—unless there’s a major change between now and then—Chris Paul’s going to want to leave in 2012, and the best strategy for New Orleans is to trade him while they can still get value.

In other words, the team the NBA owns will have the responsibility of trading a player that could single-handedly swing the balance of power in the NBA, whose departure could single-handedly kill the NBA’s asset, but whose arrival could make a team like the Knicks the biggest team on the planet. Why no! There’s no conflict of interest whatsoever... Why do you ask? Who are you again?

Granted, since the NBA’s taken over in New Orleans, Hornets GM Dell Demps has had all the autonomy he’s asked for. But something tells me, given the stakes, a CP3 trade might be more complicated. And a million times more fascinating than what happened with Carmelo this year.

Because really, if this Lakers series has taught us anything so far, there have been two lessons. First, that Chris Paul is healthy again, and when Chris Paul is healthy, there aren’t five better players in the entire league. He really is the type of player that can be the final piece to a contender’s puzzle.

The second lesson? Despite CP3’s best efforts, the Hornets are nowhere near contending.

So while Paul’s a great teammate and seems to care about the city New Orleans, after watching what’s happened to Steve Nash the past few years, it’s hard to blame him for looking elsewhere. And for all the answers Paul’s provided us in the first two games, all this dominance leaves one, gigantic question. For Paul, New Orleans, and the entire NBA... What the hell happens next?