Chris Paul fans are quick to parrot that he has 8 All-Defense selections and has a record 6 steals titles. If All-Defense teams are an accurate measurement of defense, then Kobe would be the 2nd-best defender of all-time, tied for the 2nd-most total all-defense selections with Garnett. If steals titles are an accurate measurement of defense, then Baron Davis would be one of the best defenders of all-time, having the record for most most steals per game in a playoff career.
Such fans are unable to realize that Paul's defensive reputation does not match up with the facts. The facts are that Chris Paul has been repeatedly lit up in the playoffs by opposing PGs, and Paul has been outplayed in more playoff series by notable PGs than vice-versa.
2009 1st Round
Chauncey Billups (incomplete footage)
23-4-7 on 48%, 1.2 TOpg and 66% 3PT
Chris Paul
17-4-10 on 41%, 4.8 TOpg
Billups scored way more efficiently and was the way better playmaker, Paul had quadruple the turnovers as Billups. Billups had a 6:1 ast:to ratio to Paul's 2:1. Billups' 66% 3PT is his highest of any series, against CP3's overrated defense no less.
2014 1st Round
Steph Curry
23-4-8 on 44%
Chris Paul
17-5-9 on 42%
Paul won only because he had the better supporting cast. Curry clearly outplayed him, despite having less help. Curry had to play more minutes obviously, because his 2nd option Klay Thompson was outscored by Jamal Crawford off the bench in 12 less mpg, and because Griffin was the best Clipper in the series putting up 23-6-4 on 53%, taking the pressure off CP3.
CP3 also averaged 3.8 fouls per game in the series, up from his 2014 season average 2.5. With 5+ fouls in 3 of 7 games and 4+ fouls in 4 of 7 games. His inability to defend without foul trouble contributed to Curry's individually superior performance and Paul's lesser minutes compared to Curry.
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| Curry individually outplayed Chris Paul during the 2014 1st Round, but Paul's teammates bailed him out with great help. |
17-5-9 on 42%
Paul won only because he had the better supporting cast. Curry clearly outplayed him, despite having less help. Curry had to play more minutes obviously, because his 2nd option Klay Thompson was outscored by Jamal Crawford off the bench in 12 less mpg, and because Griffin was the best Clipper in the series putting up 23-6-4 on 53%, taking the pressure off CP3.
CP3 also averaged 3.8 fouls per game in the series, up from his 2014 season average 2.5. With 5+ fouls in 3 of 7 games and 4+ fouls in 4 of 7 games. His inability to defend without foul trouble contributed to Curry's individually superior performance and Paul's lesser minutes compared to Curry.
2014 WCSF
Russell Westbrook
28-6-9 on 49% and 50/57 FTs (89%)
Chris Paul
23-4-12 on 51% and 18/24 FTs (75%)
Westbrook scored way more and way more efficiently as he went to the line more than twice as much, shooting almost 90%. Paul also choked away the eventually deciding game 5 with his 2 turnovers including on the game winning attempt. He fouled Westbrook on his 3pter, so Russell made 3 FTs to take the lead. Westbrook outplayed him in the clutch of the eventually deciding game, further cementing that Westbrook outplayed him for the series. Had Paul not done that epic choke job, the Clippers would have been up 3-2 with Game 6 in LA. Westbrook's 49% FG is the highest of any series in his career, against CP3's overrated defense by no coincidence.
And in 2012, as bad as Tony Parker played, Chris Paul was even worse
2012 WCSF
Chris Paul 13-4-9 on 37% only 5/5 FTs
Tony Parker 17-3-8 on 36% and 24/29 FTs
After both Parker (7-11 on 11%) and Paul (6-10 on 23%) played terrible in Game 1
Parker averaged 21-4-7 on 40% for the last 3 games on 19/24 FTs
C. Paul averaged 15-4-9 on 41% in the last 3 games on 5/5 FTs
Parker clearly outplayed Chris Paul for the series after accounting for the Game 1 anomaly in which both played poorly. Along with Westbrook, Billups, and Curry outplaying Paul in head to head playoff matchups, this series cements that Paul's playoff defense is based almost entirely on reputation and not on substance.
Chris Paul 13-4-9 on 37% only 5/5 FTs
Tony Parker 17-3-8 on 36% and 24/29 FTs
After both Parker (7-11 on 11%) and Paul (6-10 on 23%) played terrible in Game 1
Parker averaged 21-4-7 on 40% for the last 3 games on 19/24 FTs
C. Paul averaged 15-4-9 on 41% in the last 3 games on 5/5 FTs
Parker clearly outplayed Chris Paul for the series after accounting for the Game 1 anomaly in which both played poorly. Along with Westbrook, Billups, and Curry outplaying Paul in head to head playoff matchups, this series cements that Paul's playoff defense is based almost entirely on reputation and not on substance.
In the 2015 Playoffs, Parker was playing with an injured Achilles, ankle, and quadriceps, which was more responsible for his poor numbers than Paul's defense, on top of Parker only averaging 14-5 in the 2015 season to begin with.
When Parker was healthy in the 2008 WCSF, he put up the same numbers on Paul that he did for the regular season, and nailed the series-clinching shot in Paul's face, further confirming that Paul's defense has a negligible, or in most cases a negative impact in the playoffs against good PGs
When Parker was healthy in the 2008 WCSF, he put up the same numbers on Paul that he did for the regular season, and nailed the series-clinching shot in Paul's face, further confirming that Paul's defense has a negligible, or in most cases a negative impact in the playoffs against good PGs
2008 WCSF Tony Parker (incomplete footage) 2008 regular season 18.8 ppg 6.0 apg on 49% 2008 WCSF vs Paul
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| Parker hit the sealing shot of Game 7 in the face of Chris Paul's overrated defense during the 2008 WCSF. |
19.4 ppg 5.7 apg on 49%
In the 2016 Playoffs, Lillard had a very poor shooting series, but it was not because of Chris Paul. Damian Lillard shot an insane 60% when going against Paul's overrated defense. It was his teammates who were responsible on defense for Lillard's struggles, as he shot 9/44 (21%) on other attempts for 4 games. Chris Paul also played terrible defense in the 2017 1st Round, getting lit up by George Hill and Gordon Hayward.
Paul is supposed to be the best PG of this era yet he was outplayed in the majority of his playoff matchups against legit PGs (Billups, Curry, Westbrook, 2012 Parker). And if he did outplay them like 2008 Parker and 2016 Lillard, he still didn't lock them down.
That's the definition of overrated defense. If your defense doesn't show up in the playoffs, you can't be considered an elite defender. Gambling for steals in the passing lanes like Iverson for some steals titles doesn't hide that Paul is a very sub-par defender in the playoffs against good PGs. It's impossible to label Paul as one of the best point guards of all-time, when he can't even outplay the notable point guards of his own era in the majority of their playoff matchups.
Chris Paul is not even a top 10 defensive PG of all-time. Payton, Jason Kidd, Stockton, Frazier, Dennis Johnson, Mookie Blaylock, Rondo, Patrick Beverley, Mo Cheeks, Chauncey Billups, Avery Bradley, Lindsey Hunter, and Derek Harper were or are all much better defenders. Keep in mind that the PG position has historically been the weakest position defensively, yet Paul still isn't a top 10 defensive point guard.
Any average defensive point guard is better than Chris Paul on that end. Even if they aren't elite defensively, they aren't liabilities on that end like Chris Paul is. This includes guys like Kevin Johnson and Isiah Thomas, who again are not elite defensively, but can at least hold their own for the most part, unlike Paul who is a defensive liability that can be exploited, a guy who just gambles for steals like Allen Iverson or Baron Davis.
SECTION 2 - The Myth That Chris Paul is an Elite Defender
SECTION 3 - Why Chris Paul's Playoff Statistics Are Not as Impressive
SECTION 4 - Chris Paul is Not a Top 10 Point Guard of All-Time
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