Chris Paul sniffed out Jose Alvarado’s sneak attack and yelled at him in the NBA Playoffs

You can’t fool Chris Paul.

Chris Paul knows every trick in the book to gain even the smallest advantage over his opponents. It’s a big reason why Paul has been able to enjoy such a long and sustainably great career despite being one of the smaller players in the league on the brink of his 37th birthday. From his patented rip-through move to the willingness to tattle to the refs on any minor rule, Paul is at once shameless and incredibly smart.

In that sense, New Orleans Pelicans rookie Jose Alvarado is a chip off the old block.

Alvarado went undrafted out of Georgia Tech last year, but latched on with the Pelicans at the height of this season’s Covid surge. He’s earned his place in part because he’s an incredibly pesky defensive player despite his small stature — just like Paul. Alvardao has been infamous for his sneak attacks on opposing ball handlers, but he wasn’t about to pull the trick on CP3.

When Avarado tried to get Paul with his signature sneaky steal attempt, CP3 immediately noticed it, yelled at Alvarado, and motioned him to go away. This was the most fun moment of the Pelicans’ Game 2 win over the Suns in the first round playoff series.

Paul knows a trickster when he sees one. He knows that game as well as anyone. The fact that Alvarado really thought he could outsmart CP3 is incredibly admirable. Of course Paul sniffed it out, and made a scene in the process.

Alvarado’s steals have been so much fun to watch this year. Here’s a compilation of the best ones:

Alvarado feels like the heir to Paul’s trickster throne. Hopefully he can hang in the league for a long time and keep surprising opposing players with his daring and creative steal attempts.

For as sneaky as Alvarado is, he still can’t fool CP3.