Knuckles, i really don't like debating you because you think you know the game but you really don't. You're comparison of CP3 to Felton and your lack of understanding of what a great player brings to game proves that.
Aside from numbers (that is just one area that Paul dominates Felton), Felton cannot do what Paul does.
The reason Paul would have had a greater impact on the game against Miami is because he is a legitimately great player. Felton is good, a nice player no doubt.. But Paul is GREAT. You don't understand this and you don't respect it as you say, or you wouldn't have the audacity to question his impact. Let's see what makes Paul great. Let's look at a scouting report from 2008:
NBA Scouting Reports, Southwestern Division (Part Two)
May 27, 2008
Overview: Likely the best point guard in the NBA already, despite his age. Lightning quick and is almost impossible to stay in front of. Can play above the rim despite his lack of height. Doesn?t have an imposing frame, but compensates with great heart and athleticism. Plays bigger than he is. One of the best passers in the game today. Outstanding scorer when needed too. Plays tremendous defense when motivated. Already a franchise player. Garnered first team All-American honors during his sophomore season at Wake Forest. Was obviously a special player from day one with the Demon Deacons. Won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2006. Played in the 2008 All-Star game. Displays great leadership skills for a player his age. Has a chance to become one of the all-time great point guards in the NBA if he continues along the same trajectory.
Offense: One of the top distributors in the League. Gets about half of his offense in pick and roll situations, but is also capable of starting and finishing the break and taking his man one-on-one. Has improved his jump shot dramatically since entering the League. Forces defenders to respect his three point shot, a key to his development. Becoming a very consistent catch and shoot guy. Makes a killing off the dribble. Extremely efficient in general offensively. (1) Impossible to stay in front of and can either pull up or finish at the rim. One of the most creative finishers in the game. Isn?t limited by his height unlike most comparably sized players. (2) Runs the pick and roll as well as anybody. Turns the corner and then breaks down the defense with his tremendous ball handling ability. Gets in the lane, draws the defense, and finds his teammates. Does a very good job seeing the floor and reading defenders. Fantastic at controlling tempo?which is a key to New Orleans? success. Makes everyone around him considerably better. Does not turn the ball over at all for how much he handles it. Turning into one of the game?s most dynamic offensive players.
Defense: Very good on this end when he puts his mind to it, considering his limitations. Uses his unbelievable lateral quickness and 6-4 wingspan to dart in front of passes to create turnovers. Displays very good anticipation and quick hands when going for strips and deflections. Tough to get by due to his speed and improved strength. Struggles on the pick and roll, often late getting out and doesn?t do a great job fighting through screens. Can get posted up effectively due to his lack of size, or shot over the top of on the perimeter. Solid rebounder for his size and position. Will get anything that bounces long off the rim. Never late to a loose ball either.
He is great in a lot of areas but the first (1) bold text is what sets him apart from a guy like Felton. Read that again, let it sink in.. He his impossible to stay in front on a bad day. No one on Miami can guard Paul, who could break down their defense at will, wreak havoc in the paint and find guys w ease. Felton cannot do this nearly as well as Paul. So far he's shown he can be kept out of the paint by the really good teams. When Felton did get in there against Boston and Miami he had very limited success finishing. You simply cannot keep Paul out of the teeth of the defense and we know about his ability to finish in traffic. This what, aside from the numbers sets Paul apart from the Williams and Feltons, and puts him the class of guys like Isiah Thomas. You couldn't keep Isiah from scoring in the paint either. It's what makes them GREAT. You clearly don't understand this and I hope i've educated you.
The second (2) bold text is also what sets him apart. HE CAN CONTROL THE TEMPO LIKE NO OTHER.. He can run the pick and roll in his sleep. He is GREAT in all of the areas we utilize ad nauseum in the SSOL.
This why i say he would have more of an impact on the Knicks than Melo. He is uber-prolific in the most important areas of our O. This seems so intuitive to me. Why don't you people get it???
Dude, you are just retarded. I'm sorry. The problem these last two games was point guard play and the fact we could not get stops. Felton could not keep the proper tempo. The pick and roll was pretty much obliterated. And when he penetrated he got his shit rejected time and again. He just was not as effective as we need him to be against the really good teams.
And on the numbers, when you compare really good players (like Felton) to a great player (like Paul), the numbers will be similar. It's like comparing Mark Price to Isiah Thomas. Yes their numbers are similar, but is Mark Price Isiah Thomas? No. What differentiates a great player from a really good one is how much they can bring to the court, and how dominant they are in game. Think about the above, how it contributes to Paul's dominance. Where talking about transcendence here.. Paul's greatness in areas of speed, quickness, awareness, passing, shooting, pick and roll play, turnover-free clean play, ball-handling, and defense is what makes him impossible to mute unlike what we've seen w Felton recently. He's going to find a way to affect a game. Add to what I've already stated the fact that he leads the league currently in player efficiency @ 26.4 and steals w 2.9 and you start to see why I'm so high on him. If you had any sense you would be as well......, and you wouldn't compare him to Felton so hastily.
W Paul our perimeter guys would just just have to make shots, as they'd have plenty of open looks due to Paul's prowess at penetrating and finding guys. This is very simple knuckles, hometheatreguy, tools. Don't over think it.