Surprised?
Chris Paul is the Western Conference Player of the Month for December, and you shouldn't be.
The Clippers claimed the Western Conference Coach of the Month for December for Vinny Del Negro earlier today, and it would have been a shock if the Clippers had lost either of these awards. They did just have the third perfect 16-0 month in NBA history, after all.
Paul had a good month in his own right, leading the conference with 9.3 assists per game and the league with 2.63 steals a game. He also contributed 16 points and 3.3 rebounds a contest in just 31.2 minutes. Ten of Paul's 16 games included nine or more assists in December as he scored in double figures in all but one game.
Blake Griffin was also nominated for Player of the Month honors, averaging 18.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 1.6 steals in just 31 minutes a game while shooting nearly 59% from the field and 64% from the foul line. Griffin had 8 or more rebounds in 11 of the Clippers games in December and scored in double figures in 15 of them, breaking 20 points six times and 30 points once.
Both Clippers stars had 7 double-doubles in the month and each claimed a player of the week award.