New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul trying to steal the spotlight on the NBA recordbook
Of all the NBA records being set by this generation of players, the most impressive might be the one Chris Paul likely will tie tonight and break Wednesday night, the mark of 105 consecutive games with a steal.
OK. That probably sounds a little homer-ish, because we all know how impressive LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are, and we constantly are being reminded of their greatness by the marks they are setting.
But if you think about it, many of the individual standards LeBron, Kobe, et al, are setting are age-related marks. They are records specifically tied to the fact that, while those two are talents so otherworldly we already are looking for the "next" LeBron and the "next" Kobe, they entered the NBA straight out of high school.
So when each sets the mark as the youngest player to reach 10,000 points
or the youngest player to reach 20,000 points,
it's not quite the same as being the fastest player to reach that number. It's a record that, while obviously a momentous achievement, might not be quite as fantastic if Wilt Chamberlain or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had entered the NBA straight out of high school.
Because if that had been the case, there's a pretty good possibility that Wilt or Kareem would have been a little faster to the mark.
Paul, though, is on the verge of tying and reestablishing a standard that has nothing to do with him entering the league a couple of years early. A consecutive-games record carries a little more meaning for me, because every NBA player has an equal opportunity to chase and surpass it.
Again, that's not to slight Kobe and LeBron at all. As much as I like Paul as a player and person, if I'm starting a franchise and can choose any player to be the foundation, I'm taking LeBron. If it's a one-game, do-or-die situation, give me Kobe - even after what happened against Boston in the NBA Finals last season.
But when those two, and anyone else, if feted for being the youngest player to achieve a certain level, it speaks as much to the fact they were allowed to enter the league earlier than some of the past greats as it does that they have played at a very high level for their first five or 10 seasons.
Being the youngest to get there isn't the same as being the fastest to get there. Everyone begins at the same starting point for one feat, and not for the other.
Now, of course, Paul still has to do the actual work. He has to get one steal tonight against the Grizzlies in Memphis and one Wednesday night against San Antonio in New Orleans Arena to break Alvin Robertson's record of 105 consecutive games with a steal. It's not a foregone conclusion; last game, he didn't get a steal until less than six minutes remained against Toronto.
Naturally, opponents are taught to protect the ball. Naturally, they won't want to become associated with an opponent setting a league record against them.
But if he does, it's going to be a pretty impressive deal. Impressive, because all things being equal, not even the best the NBA ever has had to offer can make the same claim.
