For the majority of his Hall of Fame career, methodical halfcourt offense has been catnip for Chris Paul. Strolling up the court, processing and precisely organizing the floor before him, Paul can think two or three moves ahead of everyone else.
The game tends to unfold at a snail's pace for Paul, whose teams would rather let him conduct with every instrument neatly arranged than in a frenzy. Phoenix, winners of 13 in a row, still pummels opponents with ubiquitous pick-and-rolls that oscillate into tight dribble handoffs involving some of the most dangerous shooters alive. But, so far, there’s one big difference: The Suns ranked 24th in pace last season (averaging 98 possessions per 48 minutes); right now they are fourth (at 101.