Paul Can't Do it All, Spurs Win Again

Chris Paul would have gotten my vote for NBA MVP. As a disservice to everyone around the world, I do not receive an MVP vote however and Kobe Bryant was allowed to pull it from Paul's grasp. That said, he is not a team unto himself as was proven tonight in the matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

In the contest, Paul scored 23 points on 10-16 shooting while also leading the team in rebounding (6), assists (5) and steals (3). In games 1 and 2 Paul was able to rely on David West and Tyson Chandler to step up and help him keep the tempo up and drop in buckets for the New Orleans Hornets. Instead Paul scores 23 points compared to 25 scored by the other 4 starters for the Hornets.

David West struggled with 4-15 shooting while Chandler did not attempt a field goal and Peja Stojakovic who is often counted on to hit the open shot, was just 3-9.

On the other side of the ball, Tim Duncan stepped up just as I had hoped after his quiet start to the series. Duncan led the Spurs in scoring with 22 points on 10-13 shooting and also grabbed 15 rebounds. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili still did their part with 21 and 15 points respectively, but it was Duncan who led the charge, getting his points while passing out of double teams quickly and effectively.

The most impressive thing in game 4 was that the Spurs put away the Hornets early. In game 3 the Hornets were allowed to linger longer than they should have, and had the opportunity to capture momentum and win the game late. After the first quarter the Spurs turned up the intensity, led by 8 points to start the second quarter, and never let New Orleans get back into things.