5 Reasons Chris Paul Will Drag the Los Angeles Clippers Through the NBA Playoffs

Where would the Clippers be without Chris Paul? Most likely back in the lottery for the sixth straight season.

Instead, the Clippers finished the 2012 campaign with a winning percentage over .600 for the first time in franchise history, becoming a must-watch team for every NBA fan along the way.

And for that, they have one person to thank: Chris Paul. (Actually, let's add David Stern to that list too.)

Now that the playoffs are here, this inexperienced squad will lean even more heavily on their All-Star point guard. Here are five reasons why Paul will carry his team in the postseason.

Leadership

Paul is one of the best leaders in the NBA. He leads by example and his teammates are compelled to follow.

The Clippers have taken on Paul's intensity and fiery competitiveness, reconfiguring the culture of the entire franchise.

With shaky coaching from Vinny Del Negro, Paul bears even greater responsibility for guiding the team through every game. He is able to get the most out of his teammates every night and acts as a proverbial coach-on-the-floor for the Clips.

Ability to Elevate Everyone Else's Game

Paul has the inane ability to make everybody around him better. Just ask Randy Foye, who upped his three-point percentage more than 12 percentage points since joining Paul in the starting lineup.

He knows who to give the ball to in what situation and puts the ball on the money.

Paul is constantly looking to reward his big men for running the floor, finishing fourth in the NBA in assists per game leading to baskets at the rim. He also knows how to feed a shooter who has the hot hand, as he was tied for third in the league in assists per game leading to three-point field goals.

This season, Paul was third in the league overall in assists, averaging more than nine per contest. He has elevated the game of his teammates, getting Blake Griffin to raise his field goal percentage by nearly five percentage points over last season and turning Mo Williams into a Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

Decision Making

The phrase "high basketball IQ" doesn't even begin to do Paul justice. He's the smartest player in basketball, and he shows it every night.

It's impossible to contain Paul because he is so adept at setting up defenders with his dribble. With his vast array of fakes, hesitations, spins and crossovers, he's able to get to any spot on the floor and create passing angles that few others can comprehend.

Paul also takes extremely good care of the basketball, valuing each possession highly. He had the second best turnover rate among NBA point guards this season, and the league's second best assist-to-turnover ratio.

There's also no one better in the association at recognizing game situations. Paul always knows the clock and knows the score. He squeezes out an extra possession or two for the Clips every single quarter, playing the clock perfectly in the final minute to get a crucial two-for-one or three-for-two in the waning moments.

Ability to Take over Games

When his team really needs him to take over, Paul is up to the task. He can be a one-man wrecking ball and annihilate an opposing defense on his own.

His ability to shoot from anywhere on the floor or get into the paint makes Paul one of the toughest covers in the league. He uses ball screens to perfection and can either attack the rim or pull up for an easy jumper.

Among point guards who played at least 40 games in the regular season, Paul was second in true shooting percentage and third in scoring.

The threat of the pass makes him even more of a challenge to stop. Paul loves coming off of a screen and getting into the middle of the lane, where he then takes off about eight feet from the basket, poised to make a decision. If the defender goes for the shot block, Paul slides it underneath to the roll man for an easy dunk. If the defender hangs back to protect against the pass, Paul calmly changes position in mid-air and nails a little floater.

Crunch-Time Chops

I've beaten this point into the ground, but there is no better player in the clutch than Chris Paul.

He's the only guy in the league in the top 10 in both crunch-time scoring and assists per 48 minutes. Plus, he's only assisted on two percent of baskets in the clutch, so he doesn't need anyone to set him up.

Paul sinks a cool 95 percent of his crunch-time free-throws—also top 10—and ranks fourth in steals, proving his ability to get the job done defensively when his team really needs it.

When the ball is in the hands of CP3 late in close games, the Clippers offense actually gets more efficient than it is throughout the entire game, bucking the trend of inefficient crunch-time offenses league-wide. 

In the playoffs, you need a closer who can come through in the clutch and win you tight games. Paul has proven this year that he's capable of doing just that time and time again.