Young kids might look at Chris Paul today and think he is an excellent playmaker. A man brimming with wisdom and knowledge to such a high degree that he makes the game easy for everyone around him. However, that’s the truth for 39-year-old Paul. In his prime, CP3 was a different animal altogether. It wasn’t just about making the right plays and finding his guy. Paul was an elite defender who was making guards sweat at the thought of matching up with him.

His two-way abilities reached its summit when he was on the Los Angeles Clippers. With the LA-based side, Paul transformed them into legitimate contenders. Unfortunately, bad fortune never allowed the team to become champions.

The team’s two major scoring threats were aerially sound. They were also Chris Paul’s two hands. His right-hand man was Blake Griffin, an electric forward at the time who was putting whoever challenged him on a dreading highlight reel. The second arm was De’Andre Jordan. At his peak, the dynamic center was swatting shots and destroying rims for fun. Their dynamic was termed ‘Lob City’. Sadly, their run didn’t last for long. And recently, the legendary point guard revealed why he had to leave his life in LA behind.

Chris Paul gets real about his breakup with the Clippers

When the Clippers landed Chris Paul, no one knew what fun and excitement would come along. With Griffin and Jordan’s tandem, the California team had a formidable system. But they needed a general, a man who could bring out the best of the tandem. Paul turned out to be the perfect captain for a high-performance team like the Clippers.

The man controlling the ‘Lob City’ Clippers successfully led the most enthralling offense in the NBA. It was oops from the half-court or a destructive setup for one of Griffin or Jordan. That’s all the new age fans can recollect, only half of the story.

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Paul isn’t touted as the ‘point god’ just for his unmatched passing skills. He was an intimidating defender. His masterful output on both ends is what gave the Clippers a vision of winning a championship. Ironically, it was also the reason he left the team, eventually.

“I think the thing that was always different and played a role in why I ended up leaving the Clippers was.. Yeah, the ball was in my hands a lot but all them years I was making plays and all that stuff and I defended. But at that age I didn’t even think twice about it,” said Paul on the Draymond Green show. “When I came into the league, it was just different. It was ‘Who we playing tonight? Okay, I got Steve Nash, okay, I got Steph, alright, I got Russ, I got Gilbert Arenas, AI whoever it is,” 

Paul’s quick reflexes and positioning enabled him to lock up guards for an entire night. Chris Paul would not give any room to breathe, and once the panic set in, he would swipe the ball away for another ‘Show Time’ moment. During his stint, Paul made six consecutive first-team All-Defensive teams. He was a true menace. His masterful output on both ends is what gave the Clippers a vision of winning a championship. Ironically, it was also the reason he left the team, eventually.

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He would end up joining the Houston Rockets and team up with James Harden. Unfortunately, the repetitive pattern of injuries at the wrong time always prevented Paul from winning a championship. His best shot came when he made it to the Finals with the Phoenix Suns but would lose out to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance.

With the Warriors currently sulking, it’s tough to think CP3 has a chance to win a chip this season. Do you think he will retire without a championship? Let us know in the comments below.

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