IT WAS THE final minute in the first quarter of Chris Paul's preseason debut against the Orlando Magic, when he lofted a lob to his new partner, Victor Wembanyama, who jammed it home for an alley-oop dunk over Moritz Wagner.
Naturally, the crowd of 16,952 at Frost Bank Center lost it, hoping it would be the strongest of precursors.
"Those who know, know that with the talent he has and the amount of attention he garners, there is going to be sometimes where he's actually a decoy," Paul said.