"He's our guy, and he's good enough to do so."

Griffin made his third straight All-Star team this season, but his season averages in scoring (18.0) and rebounding (8.3) fell off slightly from his career averages (20.4 points, 10.4 rebounds) as he played nearly three fewer minutes per game during the regular season, at 32.5, in an attempt to stay healthier for the playoffs.

Griffin's assists rose to 3.7 per game in 2012-13 from 3.2 in 2011-12, while his steals rose from 0.8 to 1.2 per game over the same period.

The relationship between Paul and Griffin hasn't always been perfect in their two years as teammates. There have been some differences of opinion in terms of their visions for how the team should be playing.

But after spending a significant amount of time together this summer -- travelling to Asia as part of a tour for Nike's Jordan Brand and filming a national commercial for FootLocker, which will be released Tuesday -- Paul says their bond, and understanding of each other, has deepened.

"It's been a great summer for us. I think we've both had an opportunity to grow," Paul said. "As you get older you realize it's all about winning and I think we both realize we really need each other in order to do that."

Paul said he's 100 percent healthy now after suffering an assortment of injuries near the end of the season. He played through all of them, and never used them as an excuse for the Clippers' disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, but said the way the season ended still gnaws at him.

The Clippers took a 2-0 lead but ultimately lost four straight games to the Grizzlies. Griffin badly sprained his ankle in practice before Game 5 in Los Angeles and was severely hampered by the injury in the final two games.

For Paul, though, the details are irrelevant. The Clippers lost, and he failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs again.

"There's no excuses," Paul said. "For me, years from now I'll never remember we won 56 games in the regular season [in 2012]. The only thing I'll remember is we were up 2-0 and we lost 4-2. That's all I remember. I just know we lost.

"It's something I think about every day. I'm going to keep fighting until something gives. Ricky Bobby said it best," Paul said, referring to the "Talladega Nights" film starring Will Ferrell. "'If you're not first you're last' and I've been last the past eight seasons."