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Paul leads Hornets into postseason

Apr 19, 2008 - 1:04 PM Dallas at New Orleans 7:00 pm EDT Western Conference first round

NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) - New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul torched teams during the regular season with his ability to dominate every facet of a game.

Now, Paul enters the postseason for the first time in his career as the second-seeded Hornets face the seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Paul averaged 21 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and finished first in the NBA with 2.7 steals per game this season, leading New Orleans to a franchise-best 56-26 record.

The 22-year-old MVP candidate had little trouble against the Mavericks this campaign averaging 26 points, nine assists and four rebounds.

However, despite the phenom's performance, the Hornets managed just a split of the four-game season series - including a 111-98 setback during the last game of the season on Wednesday.

"We've just got to come out, play our game, defend for 48 minutes and understand that all of this regular-season stuff is over and done with," Paul said. "It's all about what happens in that first game of the series."

Paul will be guarded in this best-of-seven series by playoff veteran Jason Kidd, who scored 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting and added 10 rebounds and 10 assists during the season finale.

While Kidd no longer has the physical skills which made him the most dangerous point guard in the league during his prime, he does have a wealth of playoff experience after leading the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back NBA finals in 2003 and 2004.

The Mavericks will rely heavily on reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki, who appears recovered from a high ankle sprain and knee injuries which caused him to miss four games at the end of March.

Nowitzki averaged 24 points and almost seven rebounds a game upon his return and is determined to get Dallas past the first round after they were ousted by the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors during the opening round in 2007.