1. In a time of need, George responded to the call and led the LA Clippers to a position they had never witnessed before.
With arguably the most talented team in franchise history, Paul George led the LA Clippers to their first-ever Western Conference Finals. However, Leonard went down in the second round due to an ACL injury which put all the pressure on George’s shoulders.
Furthermore, George went far beyond his duties and led the franchise to a spot they had never been to. While he did receive help from countless others, George entered a ‘zone’ as he averaged 32.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and six assists on 60% true shooting. As a result, the LA Clippers closed out their series with the Utah Jazz after being down 0-2 at one point. These wins were crucial as Leonard missed the following season to recover from his injury.
Although the LA Clippers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the conference finals, George did all he could as he averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. NBA fans should note that George put up one of the most dominant performances in Clipper history during this series. He dropped 41 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and three steals while shooting 75% from the field. In addition, after being criticized on his previous playoff run, George did not have a game below 20 points during the 2021 post-season.
Based on this run alone, George should be widely regarded as the greatest player to ever suit up in a Clipper uniform. These historical performances tend to go under the radar when mentioning the most surreal playoff runs in the history of the NBA.