The CP3 Rules

The coaching staff didn’t invent a new defense to control Chris Paul during the break between Game 1 and 2. It’s just a matter of following the gameplan and constantly applying pressure on the MVP candidate.

“We have a couple of ideas,” Avery Johnson said. “Whatever we do, we have to do it effectively and efficiently. He’s a heck of a player. He’s been doing it to everybody all year. We have some ideas. We’re not going to give away our scouting report, but we have to make him work on both ends.”

Considering his quickness and ability to create, team defense becomes more critical against Paul. He spent most of the second half of Game 1 in the paint.

“You’d like to get more help involved, but it’s not as easy,” Jason Kidd said. “He’s a very talented player, he’s seen it all, he understands the different defenses that are thrown at him, so in that second half he took advantage of the pick-and-roll and carried his team to victory.”