HOUSTON — Clippers guard Chris Paul was explaining some of the evolution in his game.
“As you get older, I’m 27, you have to start playing with your mind more than athleticism,” said Paul, hardly a member of the old geezer society.
But Paul still flashed plenty of athleticism last night in a spectacular 20-point, 15-assist tour de force that earned him MVP honors in the West’s 143-138 victory over the East in the 62nd NBA All-Star Game at Toyota Center. Paul received eight of 12 first-place votes.
“It’s pretty special,” Paul said of the award. “It’s something I’ve never done and something that I definitely didn’t come into the game trying to achieve or thinking it might even be possible. I told [Kevin Durant] early in the first quarter, I said, ‘Man, if they score anything, just run. I’ll get you the ball, you score. I want to be the one to give it to you.’ ”
“In games like this, it’s so up-tempo and fast-paced a guy like me, a facilitator, I enjoy it.”
* Durant did not try to make it nuclear science. With a game-high 30 points last night, he has reached the 30-point plateau in three straight All-Star Games, and in four games has an average of 28.8 points. He said there is a simple reason why.
“I’m shooting a lot of shots,” Durant said. “Twenty-four shots in 31 minutes … This is my type of ball game, up and down.”
* After going 3-for-7 from behind the 3-point arc last night, LeBron James became the all-time leader in 3-pointers made in All-Star Game history with 23, passing Heat teammate Ray Allen (22).
“I did what? What’d I do?” James said, with a big smile. “I passed Ray? Oh, I can’t wait to get back to Miami, baby.”
But after having a laugh at his teammate’s expense, James admitted it wasn’t exactly something he’d aspired to accompish.
“It doesn’t mean anything to me. Individual accolades don’t mean nothing to me. What it does mean to me is I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the All-Star Game, and I’m very humbled about that. Being selected for my ninth-straight year, it means a lot.
* Paul gave special praise to Chicago’s Joakim Noah. “I love his defense. He’s one of the best, if not the best, big man defenders, especially on the ball screen.”
James Harden of the Rockets was reunited — for a night — with former Thunder teammate Durant.
“He just told me he missed me in the locker room again,” Harden said. “I miss those guys as well.