The Los Angeles Clippers looked very solid in the regular season and hence they ended in the fourth seed in the West. However, their start to the playoffs was not great as they got beaten in their backyard by the splendid Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic and his men were 2-0 up in the series.
But things have changed now, as the Clippers have finally started showing their true colours. Tyronn Lue’s men have clawed their way back into the series by winning two consecutive games and a lot of credit goes to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
NBA legend and analyst Shaquille O’Neal lauded Paul George’s performances on the ‘Inside the NBA’ show. The former Lakers legend feels that this type of performance allows him to live up to the nickname of ‘Playoff P’. He also gave a big thumbs up to PG’s aggression and the way he attacked the Mavs.
“If Paul George continues to be aggressive, first two games, sort of in a slump, played okay. But Playoff P doesn’t play okay, we need you playing playoff numbers, playoff performance type level… Not settling for jumpers, not shooting fade-aways. Didn’t have a lot of points tonight but his impact on the game. When the captain comes out in charge mode, the troops will follow… If Paul George plays like this, no.”
Paul George is averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in this series against the Mavs and this is keeping in mind the poor first match that he had. The Clippers recently decimated the Mavericks by winning 106-81 and the 31-year-old scored 20 points along with three assists and nine boards.
The only area where he can improve is his three point shooting which is only at 30.7% in this series. Whereas he had averaged 41.1 from beyond the arc in the regular season. But apart from that he has stepped up in crunch moments and has helped the Clippers sail forward, something which he was not doing last season.
The Clippers need PG to continue the same way and finish the series in the next two matches. They would not want to drag it to the seventh clash especially with the form they should be targeting the next two games.
