2. Paul George
Don’t get it twisted. I’m not going to sit here and say “Oh, Playoff P is back!” It’s not like that. Paul George had a bad game. It happens.
What caused that bad game? Foul trouble. PG picked up three fouls in the first quarter, allowing him just a shade over ten minutes total on the court in the first half. When he was on the court in the first half, he was scoreless. That’s not going to lead to winning basketball.
Because of these fouls, George was unable to get into a rhythm. As the game progressed, he was able to try and get in rhythm but much like the team as a whole, he was unable to convert. All in all, PG shot just 4 of 17 from the field en route to just 14 points.
George was good in the first game versus the Mavericks and despite the poor play last night and the constant mocking on Twitter, he has historically been good in the playoffs.
Paul George Playoff stats:
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) August 20, 2020
(Since 2015-16 season)
26.5 PPG
7.5 RPG
4.1 APG
41.8% FG
37.1% 3-PT pic.twitter.com/dtqwZxTErv
Fans, of course, will ride him but if just a couple more of his ten attempts from deep go in, who knows how the game ends up. That’s the crazy part of all this. The Clippers played badly in the first game and came away with a win and looked even worse in the second game and still had multiple opportunities to take the lead.
I’m not worried about PG’s play after one game. He needs to be better and I’m sure he will.