November 7
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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With early signs of momentum carrying over from Wednesday night's overtime victory against Dallas, Hornets point guard Chris Paul appeared pleased as he headed to the locker room with his team holding a two-point halftime lead against the Toronto Raptors. However, four minutes into the third quarter, Paul had the same frustrating glare as he did during Monday night's loss to the New York Knicks when the Hornets were thoroughly dominated in the fourth quarter, surrendering 40 points at Madison Square Garden. On Friday night, not even the home-court advantage could save the Hornets as they were undone by the Raptors' franchise-record eight 3-pointers in the third quarter that led to a ..."
November 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The NBA will not take disciplinary action against New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul or Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo for their verbal confrontation after Sunday's game at the TD Garden, league spokesman Tim Frank confirmed Thursday. After the game, Paul sought out Celtics forward Paul Pierce to shake his hand and offer congratulations for his performance. However, before Paul could finish, Rondo came up and bumped him, and that led to the two exchanging words. They had to be separated, and as Rondo was ushered from the court area by a team official, Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and Paul got into a shouting match in front of the Celtics' bench. Since Monday, the ..."
November 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After the Hornets lost a tough road game to the Boston Celtics on Sunday night, Chris Paul sought out Paul Pierce, who scored a game-high 27 points, to shake his hand and offer congratulations. However, before Paul could finish his conversation, Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo confronted him, and an angry exchange ensued between the two young point guards. They had to be separated, and as Rondo was ushered from the court by a team official, Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau and Paul got into a shouting match in front of the Celtics' bench. An NBA spokesman says the league is reviewing the postgame incident which took place during in Boston involving New Orleans guard Chris Paul and the ..."
September 29
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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We start at the beginning because that's as good a place as any to originate, because the Hornets' fortunes start with Chris Paul and trickle down, because the league's best point guard and the face of the franchise will dictate what the Hornets do and don't accomplish as significantly as will any NBA player for his team. We start with Paul because regarding him, one thing has to stop: Hornets Coach Byron Scott has to figure out a way to cut Paul's minutes. That's a familiar song, and the Hornets have done a familiar dance to the tune. Every year at media day since Paul completed his rookie season we've heard some variation of it, heard that New Orleans cannot afford to run Paul into the ..."
September 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Hornets All-Star guard Chris Paul appeared a tad nervous Tuesday morning at TPC Louisiana, standing on the first tee box, an oversized metal driver in his hand, as he was about to fire the first shot in his inaugural CP3 Celebrity Golf Classic. "No pressure, right?" Paul said through a weak grin, as his three playing partners waited to see just what their cordial host had in his bag. "I'd rather be in front of 25,000 fans shooting a basketball than doing this." Nonetheless, despite the good-natured ribbing Paul had been receiving from his friend, and on this day fellow golfing celebrity Dwyane Wade ("I don't expect him to be good at all," Wade said), Paul's opening drive was acceptable ..."
September 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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With a roster that includes rookie guards Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, Hornets point guard Chris Paul already is embracing his role as a mentor. In his four seasons, Paul always had a more experienced point guard playing behind him. But earlier this week, the Hornets traded 12-year veteran Antonio Daniels to the Minnesota Timberwolves, making Paul the most experienced point guard on the roster. "Actually it's a funny feeling, and all summer I've been thinking and talking about it," Paul said. "It's crazy that I'm going into my fifth year and actually have a young group of guys to play that position with me." Paul, 24, resumed workouts in New Orleans this week and has taken the ..."
August 26
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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When it comes to confidence in his ability, Hornets guard Chris Paul has no doubts. In his basketball ability, that is. His shoe-making expertise, that's another story. During Paul's trip to China earlier this month, in which he held clinics, dedicated a basketball court, introduced a new Nike shoe and was idolized by thousands, Paul visited the factory where his CP3 basketball shoes are fabricated, lending a hand at one point in the construction of a pair. "They let me help put the bottom sole on a pair of my shoes," Paul said this week, laughing. "I told them, 'Make sure those aren't a pair that I wear.' I don't trust myself with that." Paul's offseason excursion to the Far East was ..."
May 10
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In two of the previous three years, Chris Paul didn't have a respite after the grind of an 82-game regular season, plus two playoff series last season, before participating in tough international competition. Despite the extended work, Paul helped the United States Olympic team win a gold medal in Beijing last August, then returned to New Orleans a month later for the start of the Hornets' training camp. This summer, Paul can finally enjoy an offseason of rest. After the Hornets were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round last month, it appeared as if he could use it. During the series, Paul required treatment for a sore right knee and elbow and played a team-high 40.2 ..."
April 24
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Throughout the regular season, Chris Paul easily maneuvered around defenders to score, and when his teammates were unable to provide a lift, he still managed to carry them. The hope now is for Paul to provide the same execution during Saturday's crucial Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets. The series shifts to the New Orleans Arena after the Hornets lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Denver. Paul has been productive but not dominant. He has averaged 17.5 points -- 5.3 points below his career-high 22.8 average during the regular season. He has committed a team-high nine turnovers, including five in Wednesday's 108-93 loss at the Pepsi Center. Although Paul was a serious ..."
April 13
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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If the player wasn't Chris Paul, and the opponent wasn't the Dallas Mavericks, and the game wasn't nationally televised, then we'd have praise to lavish and superlatives to unfurl. But clearly, there are assumptions we can make under those circumstances, even if those assumptions fall along the lines of 31 points, 17 assists, nine rebounds, two steals and just one turnover in 45 minutes of the Hornets' 102-92 victory on Easter Sunday. "Well, we tried everything," Dallas Coach Rick Carlisle said. "We were trapping him in the fourth quarter, pretty much the whole quarter. He just found ways either to draw fouls or get the ball to other people. That's what great players do. He was great ..."
March 22
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After playing 41 minutes Friday night against Memphis, Chris Paul and David West barely touched a basketball during Saturday's practice. They sat on opposite ends of the bench while their teammates took shots, made free throws and worked on improving the defense in preparation for today's game at the New Orleans Arena against the Golden State Warriors, the league's highest scoring team, averaging 108.8 points. With 14 games remaining in the regular season and the Hornets desperately in a fight for playoff positioning, Coach Byron Scott said there is little chance Paul's and West's minutes per game will decrease to fewer than 40. To keep them from wearing down and in an effort to avoid ..."
March 12
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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WASHINGTON -- It took Hornets guard Chris Paul about a quarter and a half to get into his offensive rhythm Wednesday night against the Wizards. But when he did, nothing Washington could do was about to slow him down. Paul had his NBA-leading sixth triple-double of the season -- and his second this season against the Wizards -- as he scored 10 points in a 3 1/2-minute span of the second quarter in helping lead New Orleans to a 109-98 victory at the Verizon Center. Paul had 30 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to lead the Hornets, who also got 21 points from Rasual Butler (6-of-13 on 3-point attempts), 15 points from James Posey and a double-double from center Tyson Chandler (11 points, ..."
February 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Playing in his first All-Star Game as a starter, Chris Paul desired to make the same impact as he does for the Hornets. In the league's top midseason event, where celebrities such as former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, director Spike Lee and singer/actress Beyonce filled the courtside seats Sunday night at the US Airways Center for the 58th annual All-Star Game, Paul wanted to be on the winning side. With a Western Conference team loaded with perimeter shooters and inside and mid-range scorers, such as Hornets forward David West, it was not difficult for Paul to make an impact as the Western Conference cruised to a 146-119 victory. The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who scored a game-high ..."
February 15
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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After arriving Thursday in the Valley of the Sun for All-Star Weekend, Chris Paul barely had to time to unpack. First, Paul teamed with Michael Jordan to talk to cancer-stricken children and gave them tickets to a host of All-Star events. Then, Paul was whisked away to tape a segment for CNN that included Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Steve Nash and former Hornets guard Steve Smith to discuss sports, the recession and last November's presidential race. From playing on the United States Olympic team last summer to his selection by the fans as a first-time starter in the All-Star Game, Paul clearly is one of the NBA's most popular players. Despite being tugged in a several directions, ..."
February 11
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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There's a very strong likelihood of a definite possibility of a maybe that All-Star guard Chris Paul could return tonight when the Hornets get their only opportunity to play the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at the New Orleans Arena. Yet whether the Celtics get to face the Hornets with Paul running the show for the first time since he strained his right groin Feb. 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers likely will be a game-time decision. And it's one that Hornets Coach Byron Scott is not going to take lightly. Scott said he would like nothing better than to have his team close to full strength tonight. But more likely than not, center Tyson Chandler, who has missed the past 11 ..."
February 6
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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Let's just say that so far, life without Chris Paul stinks. And speaking of the Hornets, their 107-93 loss to Chicago on Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena was their fourth in a row, their first minus Paul (if you don't want to count Monday night's fourth-quarter collapse against Portland, when he strained his right groin) and the one most reminiscent of the Dan Dickau, Maciej Lampe, George Lynch days. And there was nothing remotely memorable about the 2004-05 season, when the Hornets lost a franchise-record 64 games. "Guys have got to want to be on the floor, have got to want to make something happen when they're out there," David West said after putting up 24 points and a ..."
February 4
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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The Hornets could be without All-Star point guard Chris Paul the rest of this week, but a magnetic resonance imaging test of Paul's injured right groin indicated only a mild strain, a far less severe injury than it appeared when he went down in Monday night's 97-89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. Paul walked into the Hornets' practice Tuesday at the Alario Center shortly after 11 a.m., barely limping and eager to get back on the court as soon as possible, hinting he could play tonight against the Chicago Bulls. He's officially listed as day-to-day, but Coach Byron Scott said it could be into next week before Paul plays again. "Maybe I can play (tonight), ..."
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Based on MRI exam performed Monday morning, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul has a mild groin strain and is listed as day to day, spokesman Dennis Rogers said. Paul is not expected to miss the Feb. 15 All-Star Game in Phoenix, team officials said. He sat out Monday's practice and may not play Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls. "It's not as bad as it could be,'' Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. "Obviously, we're very excited that it's day to day. We're going to wait and hope he is a fast healer. I don't think it's anyway possible for him to play tomorrow. If he plays tomorrow, it does more damage than anything. It's day to day until that thing clears up.'' Paul suffered the injury late ..."
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As he fell to the floor, Chris Paul writhed in pain only a few feet away from the Hornets' bench. New Orleans was in control of Portland, leading at one point in the third quarter by 20 points, but Coach Byron Scott looked concerned. In a season already marred by injuries, Paul was forced to leave Monday night's game with a strained right groin with 1:30 remaining in the third period, and he did not return. Without him dictating the tempo and setting up teammates for shots, the Hornets were unable to hold their lead and lost 97-89 to the Trail Blazers at the New Orleans Arena. Portland outscored the Hornets 42-17 after Paul left. It is the first time the Hornets (28-17) have lost three ..."
February 3
New Orleans Times-Picayune
columnist John DeShazier
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There is but one table-setter extraordinaire for the Hornets and, arguably, in the league. Just one Hornet capable of making every single player on the roster a little better than he actually might be. Only one Hornet who's a triple-double threat every game and capable of popping off a quadruple-double under the right circumstances. In short, Chris Paul is irreplaceable. And now, New Orleans has to try to find a way to replace him. For how long he must be replaced is anyone's guess. Paul is a competitor, and little short of a protruding bone is going to keep him sidelined for long. But when he limped off the court Monday night at the New Orleans Arena with 1:30 left in the third ..."
January 27
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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There was a great deal of concern -- justifiable, as it turned out -- about the way the Hornets matched up with the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night. The anxiety was so great that Byron Scott inserted seldom-used second-year player Julian Wright into the starting lineup for the first time this year. The idea was to use the Hornets' most athletically gifted player to try to guard Sixers front-line players Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. In theory, it was a nice idea. But all the Hornets really needed was Peja Stojakovic to heat up from the outside. Stojakovic hit five consecutive 3-point shots to open the fourth quarter as the Hornets overcame the Sixers' short game to ..."
January 23
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In a comeback that could rival his best on-court effort, Hornets guard Chris Paul overcame a more than 157,000-vote deficit in the last two weeks of balloting to capture one of the starting backcourt spots on the Western Conference All-Star team that the NBA announced Thursday night. Paul trailed Houston's Tracy McGrady by 157,063 votes in the last figures released Jan. 8, but garnered enough support to join Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant in the starting lineup for the Feb. 15 game in Phoenix. McGrady finished third in the voting, more than 456,000 votes behind Paul. "Thank you, New Orleans, I guess. Thank the world," Paul said Thursday. "It's an unbelievable feeling. Not too many ..."
January 20
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On a Monday afternoon when Hornets point guard Chris Paul saw starting center Tyson Chandler carried off the court with an ankle injury and his understudy limp away with a sore knee, Paul knew when the game was on the line that he wanted the ball in his hands. Moments after Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger, a New Orleans native, tied the score with a 3-point bucket with 2.5 seconds to go in regulation, Paul issued a demand to Coach Byron Scott. "Let me have the ball," Paul said during a timeout that preceded the frantic final ticks of the clock. He got the ball on an inbounds pass from James Posey, saw the lane was sealed off, then pulled up for a fade-away 28-foot 3-pointer that ..."
December 21
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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He didn't appear to be a jolly round man with rosy cheeks and a belly that shook like jelly, but the youthful guy in the white warmup suit worked the line of neighborhood church-group kids lined up outside the iron fence surrounding Clay Playground, bearing a gift of the season. In a sense, Hornets guard Chris Paul was doing his best St. Nicholas imitation Saturday morning as he cut the ribbon on a pair of newly painted basketball courts bearing his name and the green and gold colors of his high school, the West Forsyth (N.C.) Titans. "This is nice," said young Michael MacArthur, who lives just a block or so from the park on Chippewa and Soraparu. "I'll come down here to play." The ..."
December 19
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Only 23 years old, Hornets point guard Chris Paul is establishing a legacy, from his record-setting achievements to having the potential to develop further as one of the NBA's marquee players. On Wednesday night, Paul became the first player in NBA history to have at least one steal in 106 consecutive games, surpassing Alvin Robertson's record of 105 that stood for 22 years. Since being chosen for the league's Rookie of the Year award after the 2005-06 season, Paul has soared, unfazed by expectations or comparisons to NBA legends. Last season Paul set seven team records and became the first player in league history to average at least 21 points, 11 assists and 2.7 steals. In August, he ..."
December 18
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As Hornets point guard Chris Paul raced toward San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker to swipe the ball away during the second quarter Wednesday night, 16,593 fans screamed with joy at the New Orleans Arena. It was the moment that sealed Paul's spot in the NBA record book with a steal in his 106th consecutive regular-season game. Though satisfied with the long-anticipated achievement, Paul was overjoyed after leading the Hornets on a fourth-quarter comeback that led to their 90-83 victory against the Spurs. It was the Hornets' first game against San Antonio since the Spurs eliminated them last season in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series at the Arena. Although Rasual Butler's ..."
December 18
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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As Hornets point guard Chris Paul raced toward San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker to swipe the ball away during the second quarter Wednesday night, 16,593 fans screamed with joy at the New Orleans Arena. It was the moment that sealed Paul's spot in the NBA record book with a steal in his 106th consecutive regular-season game. Though satisfied with the long-anticipated achievement, Paul was overjoyed after leading the Hornets on a fourth-quarter comeback that led to their 90-83 victory against the Spurs. It was the Hornets' first game against San Antonio since the Spurs eliminated them last season in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series at the Arena. Although Rasual Butler's ..."
December 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Phoenix Suns guard Grant Hill said he usually tries to refrain from extending compliments to former Atlantic Coast Conference players in the NBA who did not play at Duke, his alma mater. But after finding out two weeks ago that Hornets point guard Chris Paul was nearing the NBA record for consecutive games with a steal, Hill only had nice things to say about the Wake Forest product. "I think the world of him despite that he went to Wake Forest," Hill said. "To have a streak like that is pretty impressive. He's amazing, everything he does is impressive." Like Hill, a number of players are impressed with Paul, who extended his streak to 104 consecutive games with a steal Sunday at ..."
December 16
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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Don't think for a second that when Chris Paul checked back into Sunday's game against the Toronto Raptors with 5:57 remaining in the fourth quarter he didn't know that the steal category next to his name in the box score still read "zero." With time running out on continuing a streak that, at the time, was two shy of tying the NBA record for consecutive games with a steal, Paul needed just 13 seconds to come up with a theft that made it 104 consecutive games, one short of the mark of 105. "I didn't realize it," Paul said, straight-faced. "Usually, I've just always got one. I got one, huh?" Yes, with 5:44 to go. "Yeah," he said, equally straight-faced. "Jermaine O'Neal. Held the ball ..."
December 9
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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On the surface, it appears that Hornets point guard Chris Paul is playing more minutes each game than Coach Byron Scott would like. Through Sunday's games, Paul's 37.5 minutes per game rank him 16th in the league, just one-10th of a minute higher than teammate David West, who ranks 17th at 37.4 minutes a contest. But for a self-admitted gym rat, 10 1/2 minutes of rest per game is more than enough, even though the Hornets' blowout victory Saturday night over Memphis afforded Scott the chance to rest his entire starting five all of the fourth quarter. Paul received his second-shortest workload (30:22) of the season. "It doesn't bother me," Paul said of his extended time, "but it's great ..."
November 25
New Orleans Times-Picayune
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In three games against Chris Paul last season, former Hornets point guard Baron Davis often relied on post-up moves to shoot over him. Although Davis has changed teams since last season, Paul expected to see much of the same late Monday night when the Hornets played the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Davis opted out of his contract with the Golden State Warriors in July to sign a five-year, $65 million contract with the Clippers. Against Davis last season, Paul averaged 22.7 points and 12.6 assists and led New Orleans to two victories against the Warriors. Paul achieved a triple-double against the Warriors last April when he scored 16 points and had 13 assists and 10 ..."