30 years from now when some kid Google searches "NBA Thief" a picture of Chris Paul will pop up. Paul has become the biggest thief in the league currently averaging close to three steals a game. Tonight, Paul surpassed Alvin Robertson's 1986 record with a nifty steal against the Spurs. The magic number, 106, is the amount of consecutive games in which Paul has at least one steal. The record itself seems a bit arbitrary. It's not like he set a record for the most steals in a single game, a single season, or most steals all time. However, I am not trying to discredit the man in any way, shape or form, because he has become a solid defender and this streak shows how much of a nuisance he can be to opposing teams.
Tony Parker was handling the ball on the wing late in the second quarter, and he attempted to make a carefree pass. With his cat-like reflexes Paul got his hands out quickly enough to deflect it initially and then quickly scooped up the loose ball. Moments later the P.A. announced the scorekeepers officially recorded it as a Chris Paul steal. The over 20,000 fans in attendance rose to their feet in what became a wonderful ovation. "It's an unbelievable achievement. Hopefully nobody else will come break it," said Paul.
Even more impressive than his record breaking steal tonight was the great game going on between these two teams. The Spurs looked to be controlling the tempo and game for around 42 minutes, but Chris Paul and company used all the crowd's momentum and dominated in the last six or so minutes of the fourth quarter. The Hornets closed the game on a 23-8 run filled with great execution, as well as David West knocking down two three pointers in the last minutes. Paul finished the game with 19 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block. Not a bad night for the young point guard. The Hornets seem to of avenged themselves tonight from their Game 7 loss against the Spurs in last years Western Conference Semi-Finals. The Hornets are starting to execute consistently on both offense and defense. If this team can some how obtain another solid veteran big man, well, I might have to consider them "contenders" soon.
As for the steals record, here's what Chris Paul had to say after the game:
"I figure since I set the record, why not smash it? Let's see how long it can go."
Why not?. Let's see how long it can go. I wouldn't be surprised to see this record get near 200.
2 comments:
Last night's game was decent. I didn't know David West had three point range. But I, along with the Spurs found out.
Josh, you still toying with the idea of doing a site basketball related?
Hey, what's your email address?
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