Chris Paul Steps over Mavericks on His Way to Superstardom

Sports experts commonly say that players' careers are truly defined by the performances in the playoffs. 

Even though Chris Paul's playoff legacy is only two games long, it is clear that he is on his way to greatness. 

Defying the conventional wisdom that playoff experience is invaluable, Paul is leading a team with limited playoff experience over a veteran playoff squad.  In his second straight victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Paul simply could not be contained.

It may have been possible to simply dismiss Chris Paul's 35 points, 10 assists, and four steals performance in game one as a lucky debut. 

However, Chris Paul's encore performance shattered such a notion.  He ripped the Mavericks again for 32 points and 17 assists. 

Even though Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson publicly stated that his team would try to contain Paul, even though the Mavericks constantly threw traps at Paul, even though the game plan was to get the ball out of Paul's hand—Paul asserted his will on the game.

His quickness and great sense of handle allowed him to split the traps, score, and find the open man.  In multiple sequences, Paul darted by Kidd and managed to score on a variety of floaters and jumpers. 

In the first quarter alone, Paul had six points and eight assists, contributing to the Hornet's playoff record of 39 first quarter points.

The road ahead is not going to be easy for Paul and the Hornets.  The Mavericks will definitely try other methods in hopes of slowing Paul. 

Also, the series now shifts to Dallas, where the Hornets have not won in over 10 years. 

However, after watching Chris Paul's performances in games one and two, I don't think anyone would be surprised if that record changes in the coming week.