You hear it all the time – defense wins championships. To Chris Paul, that’s what it’s going to take for his team to make a deep run in the upcoming post-season. Following Sunday’s victory over the Lakers, he was asked about preparing for the playoffs, and his response reflected that credo.

“Like we’ve been saying for a while now, it’s about us,” Paul said. “(Coach) Doc (Rivers) told us going into this game that it’s about competing. Right now, different sets that we run, our defense … you just want to make it to where when you get into the playoffs, it’s like clockwork and you don’t have to think about it.

“I think those are the teams that are usually at their best. That’s why the Spurs are so successful and (why) the Heat are two-time defending champs. You just rely on your defense night in and night out.”

This season the Spurs are allowing 97.1 points per game, fourth best in the league. Miami is 6th at 97.3. The Clippers are allowing 100.7 points, 14th in the league. But they are also the highest-scoring team in the NBA at 107.8 points per game. Their differential of plus-7.1 is second best in the league behind San Antonio’s plus-8.5.