Since Chris Paul has spent most of the 20 years pursuing his journey to the NBA Finals, there may only be two options for his way of arrival.

1. Just before he officially retired from the game, he made a technical foul by commenting on the bench of the losing team. He may have completely dominated the game with the greatest performance of his career.

2. He will never arrive.

Smart money is definitely on option 2, but it turns out that the other option is more interesting than any of us thought. It’s as if Paul is willing to have his most famous qualities-persistence in angering opponents, foresight to connect with teammates from impossible angles, terrible drama that does not suggest his effectiveness as a commercial actor, absurd ball handling skills that make opponents feel uneasy What makes opponents more uneasy is that at Staples Center on Wednesday night, the Suns defeated the Clippers to win the first place in the 2021 NBA Finals.

His statistics for the night in Los Angeles were almost cartoonish: 41 points, 8 assists, 16 of 24 shots, 7 of 8 three-pointers, 3 steals-this at first seemed as if he’d done anything necessary Thing to get the fourth victory in the Western Conference Finals. This is true in other aspects outside of mathematics, from the intersection with DeMarcus Cousins ​​that led to a technical foul on the Clippers to anything that caused Patrick Beverley to push Paul from behind and be expelled.

more: Beverly pushed Paul away from behind and was expelled | Cousins ​​will not be clichéd like Paul

It may be these circumstances that caused Paul to be underestimated: fans who follow the league, teams that have traded him four times. Or maybe because he was traded four times and played for five different teams, he belongs to no one except his hometown of Winston Salem, North Carolina, where he became Wake Forest The legend of high school and the best player in the university.

Those who voted for him to be selected to the NBA’s All-NBA Team and All-Defensive Team certainly understand, but when discussing the greatest point guard in history, his name is rarely inserted into the conversation.

So let’s do it.

Chris Paul vs. Bob Cousy: Kuz’s game is very different when he comes on the court, but the goal is the same: put the ball in the basket and stop the opponent from doing the same thing. He led the NBA in assists per game 8 times in 13 full seasons, and was an All-Star each time. He averaged 18.4 points and 7.5 assists per game in his career. He was the league MVP in the 1956-57 season. From today on, many people have dismissed Cousy because of the appearance of the tape, but that is the arrogance of a generation. Verdict: Cousy.

Chris Paul vs. Walter Fraser: If you ignore Clyde while doing this kind of exercise, you are doing it wrong. (Undoubtedly, at this moment, in some media forums). Fortunate to be selected by the Knicks in the year Red Holzman took over, Fraser became the cornerstone of the two championship teams. Mainly known for his defensive ability-he was selected to the All-Ds 7 times in 13 seasons-Frazier has also averaged 18.9 points per game in his career. But Paul is equally strong as a defender, and he is much more efficient as a personal offensive creator (9.4 assists per game, 6.1 assists per game for Fraser). Verdict: Paul.

Chris Paul vs. Steve Nash: Nash helped the Suns become a regular-season team in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons and won two league MVP awards. At that time, the team won an average of 58 victories. But both teams lost in the Western Conference Finals, and neither series were close. Nash was selected to the All-NBA team seven times; Paul has done it 10 times. Nash has averaged 14.3 points, 8.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 49% field goal per game in his career. Paul scored 18.3 points, 9.4 assists and a 47% field goal percentage. Verdict: Paul.

Chris Paul vs. Jason Kidd: When it comes to the greatest pure passer of all time, Kidd should be the first name mentioned. And he is a very strong defender. But Kidd has shot more than 43% from the field in only one of the league’s 19 seasons. Shooting is very important. Paul’s ability to hit floating balls in the penalty area allowed him to make 1,323 more two-pointers than Kidd-in three seasons less time. Paul averaged six more points per game. Verdict: Paul.

Chris Paul vs. John Stockton: This may be the closest match, but it is also the biggest contrast. Stockton was selected by the Jazz the year before Karl Malone and eventually played in Utah. Stockton became the most prolific passer in game history. He led the league with 9 assists and his field goal percentage was 51.5%, even though his shots were much lower than Paul. Paul was selected by the Hornets in 2005 and joined an organization that rarely approached full functionality and ended up playing in various off-Broadway cities or environments. His obvious advantage over Stockton is as a shooter (1,441 three-pointers, Stockton’s 845) and scorer. Conclusion: This is indeed a matter of preference.

Chris Paul vs Isiah Thomas: His ability to command two NBA championship teams is a clear advantage for Isiah. The offensive strength of these two players is comparable, with almost the same scoring (Thomas 19.2, Paul 18.3) and assists (Thomas 9.3, Paul 9.4) and shooting percentages (Thomas 45.2, Paul 47.2). Is longevity important? Because it’s not close. Paul has entered his 16th season; Thomas only played until the age of 13, even though he played in an era where physical fitness was more important. Thomas has only been selected to the All-NBA team five times. Conclusion: Thomas because of the title, but Paul may be wobbly in the next few weeks.

Chris Paul against Oscar and Magician: Not worth the effort, is it? Verdict: Oscar and Magician.

Even if you disagree with every conclusion we have reached, you can see how Paul fits into the team easily. If you are arguing about the greatest point guard of all time, he must be included and may be in the front row.

Of course, he would almost certainly be the one holding rabbit ears to the gentleman sitting next to him.