Paul returns to the Clippers at the age of 40, or becomes Harden s substitute? 3.6 million yuan in basic salary to return to the all-in-one city of that year

When Chris Paul's signature fell on the Clippers' 3.6 million contract, the veteran training center in Los Angeles suddenly remembered the scene in 2011 - the little man wearing No. 3 walked into the locker room for the first time, holding a tactical notes in his hand were thicker than the rookie contract.

No one expected that at the age of 40, he could still deliver a full-time answer. Last season’s 82 regular season games, a physical examination report from the Spurs doctor showed that his core strength was even higher than some 25-year-old guards. Those who question "Paul's fuel tank is empty" should look at the eye-catching data: the Spurs' offensive efficiency is 7th in the league when he was on the court, and plunged to 22nd after the game - the gap is equivalent to falling from the playoff team to the lottery zone.

The Clippers' abacus is hidden in the word "substitute". Letting Paul play a substitute for Harden seems to have aggrieved the 12th All-Star, but in fact it contains exquisite plots. When Harden left the court for a break in the second quarter and Paul took the second team to control the court, his passing routes that he had made with 19 years of NBA experience could make role players like Mann and Powell suddenly enlighten. Just like when he was on the Clippers in 2014, he always put scattered parts into precision instruments.

data will not lie, but the wisdom of the arena is more difficult to quantify. Last season against the Suns, he sent three steals in the last two minutes of the final quarter. The sideline commentator joked that "This is not 40 years old, it is clearly memorizing the opponent's offensive routine." Does the defensive efficiency seem to have not changed? Old fans all understand that when Paul is on the court, the Spurs' defensive position on the back of the back are all his shadow - just like the master staring at him, the apprentice dare not be lazy.

The most moving thing is not how fast he can run, but how he is willing to slow down. The roar of smashing tactical boards in the Clippers locker room was still echoing, but now I have to learn to hand Harden the towel on the bench. Or if Lao Pao tells the rookie the seriousness of pick-and-roll angle to the rookie during training, he will know that the 3.6 million yuan buy is not averaging 10 points and 5 assists per game, but the basketball dictionary full of blood and sweat.