The Chris Paul & Stephen Curry Back-And-Forth Still Has Us Amped

Since both Chris Paul and Stephen Curry originally hail from the North Carolina region, there’s a budding rivalry on the horizon. Paul was heavily recruited coming out of high school and went to ACC school, Wake Forest; Steph toiled in semi-obscurity at Davidson. Despite the differences early in their basketball careers, both of them caught fire last night in a thrilling late game on TNT.

There was something sorta phantasmic about the two 3-pointers Steph tossed in from what seemed like a couple steps beyond half-court last night in the third quarter. While Paul and Blake Griffin were getting their Lobopolis on, Steph was lying in wait. But after 9 three-pointers for 38 points — along with 9 dimes and a dreadful 11 turnovers — it just wasn’t enough, even if it was incredible to watch Steph shoot:

And holy hell, the time he pulled up beyond the arc on a 3-on-1 fast break to a launch a contested 3-pointer with Jared Dudley draped all over him — even with Iggy wide-open underneath the hoop — was transcendent. Steph hit the 3, and was fouled by Dudley for a four-point play. I mean, who gets a four-point play on a fast break with numbers? Steph Curry, that’s who. Just incredible.

So how, you ask, did the Clippers overcome another #StephCurryHEATCHECK last night? Chris mother****ing Paul, that’s how. Despite Steph’s incredible streak of long-range efficiency, Chris Paul was getting his, to the tune of 42 points (12-for-20 from the field), 15 assists and 6 steals — the latter of which always seemed to end in a Blake alley-oop.

CP3 played like a man possessed: he got into the mid-range and drilled shot after shot; he hounded Curry whenever he picked up his dribble; he found open teammates for easy buckets. There was nothing anyone could do. It was amazing, and Paul’s performance was the only reason the Clippers escaped Staples Center with a .500 record after their 126-115 victory on a night when Curry couldn’t miss.

I’d like to thank Stephen Curry and Chris Paul for keeping me up most of the night before all the adrenaline from their performance seeped out of me like a deflated balloon on New Year’s Day. I’m spent.

What did you think of the amazing performances from the point guards last night?

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