Is Playoff P here to stay?
While that remains to be seen, Paul George, right now, is having arguably the best postseason performance of his career.
The Clippers forward silenced critics when he put on a clinic in L.A.’s Game 5 win on Monday night, scoring a playoff career-high 41 points — 30 of which came on 10-for-12 shooting in the second half alone to go with 13 rebounds and six assists.
George, leading the way with Kawhi Leonard injured, propelled the Clips to a 116-102 win to slash the Suns’ conference finals series lead to 3-2. Game 6 is Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The 31-year-old became the fourth player in Clippers history with a 40-point playoff game. He joins an elite group in Kawhi Leonard, Elton Brand and Bob McAdoo. George leads all NBA players this postseason in points and minutes played.
George has been criticized for rough playoff performances – including in Game 2 of the Clippers’ current series when he missed two crucial late free throws. Teammate DeMarcus Cousins called the criticism “foolish” Monday night, and George himself believes he gets singled out more than other stars.
“And it’s the honest truth. It’s a fact,” George told reporters after Monday’s game. “But I can’t worry about that. It comes with the job, I guess. … I still try to go and dominate. … And so I’m beyond that, you know what I mean. I am who I am. I wish I could shoot 80%, 75%, on a nightly basis, but it’s not realistic.”
George is finally having his well-deserved moment under the playoff spotlight following a postseason slump in the 2020 NBA Bubble — when it seemed as though Playoff P was gone for good.
The moniker is something George made up himself in 2018, when his then-Thunder team faced the Jazz in the playoffs. At the time, George staked his claim on guarding rookie Donovan Mitchell, who at the time was rising star in Utah.
George later explained to reporters that his on-court alter ego is a “fun guy to watch.” He described Playoff P as “out-of-body person where I just lock in and put myself in a different zone.”
That is the version of George who’s been showing up in the current postseason, especially in the conference finals. And lately he’s been doing it without fellow star Leonard, who has yet to play a game in the conference finals due to a right knee sprain he suffered in Game 4 of the second-round Jazz series. The 29-year-old hasn’t traveled with the team as of late and has been receiving treatment in L.A. Leonard’s status for Game 6 is up in the air.
The seven-time All-Star has kept his team afloat — something many doubted he could do after being labeled “Pandemic P,” following his lackluster bubble performance.
After the Clippers fell to the Nuggets in Game 7, blowing a 3-1 lead in the postseason for the second time in the last six seasons, George was called “soft” among other things by fans and even other players around the league.
George later revealed he was in a “dark place” while isolated in the NBA bubble at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Players were required to live under strict health and safety mandates that included daily coronavirus testing, planned meals and more rules. George opened up about experiencing anxiety and depression during that time.
Still, critics didn’t let up.
While reflecting on the bubble experience in January after a game against the Suns, George admitted, “I had a tough year last year. People think it’s sweet, man, people think it’s sweet because I was down. I didn’t hear none of this in my 10 years in the league, but people living on that last year.
“And I got to answer that. I’m ready to compete. I’m back.”
George does indeed seem like he’s back.