Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Chris Paul Blows Up Game 3
Former Wake Forest Demon Deacons star Chris Paul turned his magic up to eleven in order to beat Utah in Game 3.
So far this playoff season, I have missed Tim Duncan. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons alum and star made his money, or what little he slashed his salary to, in the playoffs. Without him, the playoffs just don’t have the same Demon Deacons touch. That is what I would say if there was no such thing as Chris Paul.
We probably do not give Paul enough credit for the kinds of things he can do and the numbers he can put up. We just expect that Lob City will fire on most of its cylinders and Paul will threaten a triple-double for the Clippers.
It seems strange to think that Paul was the closest thing outside of LeBron to Mr. Triple-Double in the league until this year. It did not have to be rebounds either. Paul produced far more than his share of steals to get that reputation. Perhaps our forgetfulness about Paul lies in the idea that the Clippers never took over the league like some thought they would. They were chastened by the Spurs and usurped by the Warriors before they ever got started.
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Last night was one of those nights that made you remember that Paul was once and perhaps still is a top five player in the league. The Clippers were getting torched by Gordon Hayward and the Jazz. Hayward scored forty, and the Jazz led most of the way. Yet there were signs the Clippers could come back and come back they did.
Paul scored thirty-four points to make that happen. He also handed out ten assists. He pulled down seven boards. It was vintage Paul, and perhaps we had doubted that vintage Paul was a thing anymore instead of a quiet daydream. It shouldn’t have surprised any watching the series against the Jazz. The standard for point guards had a similar performance in Game 2 where he just didn’t get to shoot any free throws.
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Deep down Paul must know that this year is his year. He is finally in the playoffs with all his important pieces healthy (sorry, Austin Rivers). If there is to be any year where he must drive this team to victory it is the year with no Tim Duncan, dysfunction in the East, and nobody really expecting the Clippers to do that much. 2-1 over Utah may not be impressive, but there are signs that this could be run that Clippers and Wake fans have been waiting for.