![]() ![]() The Clippers star averaged 18.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting just 35.8% overall and 27.5% from 3-land in the series. He also had two awful shooting performances in victories, to go along with one outstanding performance (Game 5) and one stellar showing (Game 1). In their two losses, he averaged just 18.5 points on 7-for-31 shooting. This past series certainly didn't help George's case. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)īut just how well-founded are the playoff criticisms of Paul George? ![]() It's a good thing that Kawhi Leonard took over, though, because a loss would have resulted in more scrutiny about George's playoff history. While George struggled to a 6-for-19 shooting night in Game 6, the Clippers taking care of business and putting away the Mavs kept the focus away from him. It was the kind of performance that everyone expected him to have since joining LA from the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his best game of the playoffs for the Clippers, George erupted for 35 points in Game 5, shooting 12-for-18 from the field and 4-for-8 from downtown. Los Angeles needed Paul George's best version in order to take the series lead from Dallas, and he finally showed up in Game 5. Still, this was surely not who Leonard envisioned to be his superstar partner when he left the defending champion Toronto Raptors in order to join the Clippers in free agency. His Clippers teammates stuck by him and gave him encouragement. George acknowledged that dealing with anxiety and depression in the NBA bubble was affecting him. In the process, the 30-year-old Fresno State product made NBA history, but not the good kind, becoming the first player to shoot under 25% from the field in three straight games since Bob Cousy in 1960:įROM ELIAS: Paul George is the first player to shoot under 25% in 3 straight playoff games since Bob Cousy in 1960 (min. George's subpar performances began in Game 2 and came to a head in Game 4, when the six-time All Star finished with just nine points on 3-for-14 shooting in a game where Doncic hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in overtime to tie the series at two games apiece. With Kawhi Leonard and George (to a degree) leading the way, the Los Angeles Clippers advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals against either the third-seeded Denver Nuggets or the sixth-seeded Utah Jazz after beating Luka Doncic and the upstart Dallas Mavericks in six games in their first-round series.īut just over a week ago, George was struggling mightily against the Mavs, which put into question whether the mighty Clippers could be headed to a first-round upset. ![]() For the first time since moving to the Western Conference three seasons ago, Paul George will be playing in the second round of the playoffs, giving him more chances to exorcise the playoff demons and “Playoff P” jokes that have been haunting him. ![]()
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