The End of the Chris Paul Rivalry?
It feels like Utah Jazz fans have held disdain for Chris Paul since about the dawn of time, or at least since he was drafted right after Deron Williams in the 2005 NBA Draft. Since that day, the two point guards were constantly compared and Jazz fans vigorously defended their lead man, often criticizing and defaming Paul in the process.
And for much of Williams’ prime, he was the leader in the argument as the best point guard in the league. True, Paul has since easily surpassed him as having the better career, but an argument still exists that peak D-Will was better than peak CP3.
Whether you buy that or not, there’s no denying that because of those two players’ closeness in the draft and in talent level, the Jazz have long viewed Paul as a rival, cheering against him heavily for several years during his days as a member of the then New Orleans Hornets.
But the rivalry didn’t stop there. In fact, since the Jazz made their glorious return to the postseason in 2017 after a four-year drought, they’ve faced Paul each time. First, they defeated him when he played for the LA Clippers in round one. The following season he got revenge in the second round as a member of the Houston Rockets, then of course this season he and his team bounced the Jazz in round one.
Jazz fans couldn’t stand CP3 from his days as a point guard rival to Deron Williams and liked him even less due to his reputation as a flopper and flailer, a constant complainer and a questionable sport throughout his time in Lob City where the Clippers often had their way with the Jazz until the 2017 Playoffs. That dislike grew immensely after three straight playoff series meetings, in two of which CP3 arose victorious.
But if the Houston Rockets go full fire sale and find a trade partner for Chris, it could very well mark the end of the Chris Paul rivalry against the Jazz. This would especially be true if he went out to the Eastern Conference where he’d only face the Jazz twice per year (assuming no meeting in the Finals) and could be true regardless of where he goes if age catches up to him or he simply goes to a lackluster squad that doesn’t qualify for the playoffs.
Paul has been such a deadly thorn in the Jazz’s side, that it’s almost hard to imagine him not being a roadblock to their success in the playoffs, but depending where he ends up should he be traded, it could definitely alter things significantly. It’s extremely realistic to presume that the Jazz could run into Houston yet again in next year’s playoffs, and if Paul is no longer there, it won’t feel like anywhere close to the same matchup.
In some ways, that’s kind of sad, as the Paul-Jazz rivalry has been a fun one over the years. However, considering how much trouble CP3 has given Utah throughout his career, it could very well be a blessing of sorts in the long run even if on the surface it’s done to make the Rockets a better team. The loss of Paul could potentially help the Jazz match up better against Houston, providing a slight added advantage that could make all the difference.