For the first time in over a decade, M-V-P chants at the Staples Center were directed towards someone other than Kobe Bryant. And this man was none other than Chris Paul who had 30 points 13 assists 6 rebounds and 2 steals, leading the Clippers to a 107-102 victory over that other LA team.

The Clippers dominated the first 3 quarters during their match up against the Lakers last Friday night, managing a 16-point lead going into the fourth. But Kobe made sure this one wouldn’t be a blowout as he erupted for 38 points and brought the Clipper lead all the way down to 2 with 1:07 left.

However, Chris Paul scored the final 8 points for the Clips, including a 21-foot jumper over Kobe that proved to be the dagger.

The win ups the Clippers to a 26-8 record, which places them in a first place tie with the Thunder. Quietly, Chris Paul is having an MVP caliber season where he is averaging 16.3 ppg 9.2apg 3.5 rpg 2.5 stls .

Paul might not be a flashy scorer but when it comes to being a leader he’s the best there is, as he is able to improve the performance of all the players around him.

For example, Matt Barnes (newly acquired free agent), is having a career year where he is averaging the most points per game of his career (10.9), as is Jamal Crawford who is at his highest scoring average in over 2 years. Lets not forget about “lob city”, which was the term coined when the Clippers acquired Paul.

Paul’s 9.2 assists per game is good enough for second in the league and his stingy defense has gotten him 2.67 steals per game which is the most in the NBA.

It seems like no matter where Paul goes he and his teammates are successful, as he has not missed the playoffs since 06’-07’ season. If CP3 can keep it up there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be discussed as a serious MVP candidate.

Mike Block | Elite.