Where is Paul George? What's going on with PG13? Has PG lost his touch? Is the shoulder soreness too much to handle?
These are the questions that have consumed many minds who have been tuning into the NBA playoffs. Paul George was off ... to say the least. On Tuesday, August 25, the day of Game 5 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks ... something clicked for PG.
"I mean, I just felt it. My energy, my spirit was changed. That's all it needed" said George when referring to his chat with the team psychiatrist. "That's all I needed. I came here, I know what my job was. Left it all on that court. Ready to move forward." 35 points in 25 minutes was certainly needed. Paul George became the only player to score 35 in 25 minutes or less in the shot clock era (1954-55).
PG was hearing it all within the world of social media. All of the comments, the doubts, the criticism, he heard it all. In a postgame interview after Tuesday night's franchise-record setting performance George seemed to let out some relief, he mentioned being in a "dark place."
"Just being locked in here. I just wasn't there. I checked out." Quarantining, aka isolating yourself from the outside world completely, has truly taken effect on people. Yes, even professional athletes. From the outside eye (fans) the NBA bubble seems like a vacation spot, a real-life NBA 2k world. George was needing an escape from basketball mode, but was not finding it.
You all know how much I love Doc Rivers, right? Can't he just coach for forever? Anyway, Coach Rivers was an integral part of helping Paul George come out of the slump he was in, on and off the court. PG's teammates were knocking on his room door. Montrezl Harrell took his teammate away from the basketball mindset and played him in some Madden 21 action. Kawhi, the really fun guy, made sure to be there and be accountable for his teammate.
I can only imagine the fire it began to light for the Clippers after that Sunday evening buzzer beater from the impressive Luka Doncic ... on a sprained ankle. Can we take a moment to just appreciate what Luka has been giving us? He has been compared to Jason Kidd, Larry Bird, and LeBron James. I know, BOLD ... but accurate. He's cold blooded and he gives us a lot to look forward to. Oh yeah, he is just 21 years old.
Back to Paul George. His 35-point performance on Tuesday night was more points scored than his three previous games combined. He went 10-47 over three games. Many were beginning to wonder if we were actually going to witness that dynamic duo between George and Leonard. It's here now and I don't think it's going away any time soon. The two became the first pair of teammates in postseason history to each score 30 points in less than 30 minutes. This is exactly what we have been waiting for.
Welcome back, PG.
Clippers lead the series against the Mavericks 3-2 now, so gear up for Game 6 my fellow sports lovers.
We demand justice for Jacob Blake. Today would be a great day to give that justice ... and to arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor. SAY THEIR NAMES.
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