The Philadelphia 76ers are on the cusp of playing their first game seven of Paul George’s tenure, and fans of the LA Clippers just know it’s going to be ugly. Why? Well, they are still hurting from George’s last two performances in a win-or-go-home environment, in which he was expected to step up to the level of his salary, and all he ended up doing was disappointing.
In 2019-20, George battled against the Denver Nuggets for a chance at the Western Conference Finals and logged 10 points, five turnovers, and four personal fouls, shooting 4-16 from the field and 2-11 from a distance.
The following season, the Clippers faced the Dallas Mavericks at home in the first round, and, long story short, the nine-time All-Star was saved by Kawhi Leonard. If Leonard hadn’t posted a near high-scoring triple-double, LA would’ve been sent home, as George shot 5-15 from the field, 2-8 from a distance, and added four turnovers.
That said, George has a track record of falling short with everything on the line, and despite several years passing, Clipper Nation hasn’t forgotten one bit.
Paul George just isn’t built for the moment
Throughout Paul George’s career, critics have judged him with the lights at their brightest. He will show up sometimes, but it’s more often than not that he goes into vanish mode and disappears, leaving his team stranded on an island.
In the few examples mentioned above, and the plenty more that have taken place with the LA Clippers and his previous teams, George has made it clear that, no matter how much he doesn’t show it, the pressure does, in fact, get to him from a mental standpoint.
Fans of the 76ers might argue that George is currently playing a different role, the one of a third option, and that’s why his upcoming game seven versus the Boston Celtics may look different than the ones he suited up for in LA.
That’s a valid point; George has been nothing short of excellent thus far in the first round, averaging 18.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, shooting 48.7% from the floor and 54.3% from three.
But, just because he’s been great doesn’t take away from the fact that the 76ers need him to be great in order to win.
And Clippers fans know that having George required to dominate is a recipe for disaster.
They’ve seen this store play out one too many times.
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