Paul George finished Game 4 of the first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks with nine points on 3-14 shooting and immediately continued his ritual of ridiculous post-game media answers, exclaiming the Mavs’ defenders weren’t even good but clearly good enough to stop him.
This combined with his Game 3 post-game interview, when he was undertaking the interview with an ice pack taped around his shoulder.
Now, am I denying the fact he may have been having shoulder pain? Of course not.
But is it a coincidence that in the game he scored 14 and made a plethora of defensive blunders he wanted the public to see his injury? Funnily he didn’t need the ice pack after scoring 27 and going 1-0 up after Game 1…
And these two occurrences encapsulate the history of Paul George in a nutshell: a top-ten talent combined with a low-level championship starter mentality.
My opinion doesn’t arise from thin air. A glance of George’s performances in big playoff games in his history helps my case.
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
In Game 7 of the eastern conference finals in 2013 he put up a stat line of 7-7-7 on 22 per cent field goals.
In 2015 he was injured.
In 2016, he lost in seven to the Raptors and although he scored 28 points, George finished the game with 2-8 shooting, turned the ball over at the end and missed a game-tying shot at the end. Alongside that, during the post-game interview, he exclaimed he was tired and also “not superman”.
In 2017, he was swept by the Cavaliers and in the Game 4 elimination game he scored 15 points on 5-21 shooting.
In 2018, he lost in six to a Utah Jazz team led by rookie Donovan Mitchell. In Game 6 he played 45 minutes, scoring five points on 2-16 shooting with three rebounds.
Last season he proceeded to be waved goodbye by Damian Lillard in five games. During the post-game press conference, when asked about Damien Lillard’s season-ending dagger, George’s response was: “I don’t care what anybody says, that was a bad shot”.
Now, I am fully aware there are a hell of a lot of brilliant George performances mixed in there, but for those who care to make the argument for George as a superstar, I have to disagree.
Not only because of his performances in the critical moments, but his history of off-court comments and lack of leadership demonstrated that George is not equipped with the necessary tools to be a complete second option on a championship team.
I hope George proves me wrong and goes on to lead the Clippers to their first NBA championship. But if the Clippers fall short in a close series along the way, I recommend tuning into George’s post-game interview because he might want to make sure you’re aware of the reason why he played poorly.
Davico
Roar Pro
Butler is proof positive that sometimes attitude and hard work can trump natural ability. George has the god given talent but Iwould take Butler over him to get it one when the chips are on the line!
astro
Roar Rookie
I think focusing on isolated games in playoff series, is a bit unfair. Overall, his playoff stats are very similar to his regular season stats, which are hard to argue with. Add to this, he's a great defensive player, and has been for many years. There's a reason he came in 3rd in MVP voting last year... But I understand where this article is coming from...George is very up and down with in the playoffs. He was terrible in this last game against Dallas, but as I write this, he's playing great against the Mavs in what looks like a certain win. Is he a superstar? Depends on how you define it. For me, he's a definite max player and a guy who you can build a team around. I actually think he's done himself a disservice by playing 'second banana' to guys like Leonard and Westbrook. I wish he would take on the role of being the go-to guy on a team (a bit like Butler with Miami) as I think he's as talented as anyone. But I agree that less off-court comments and bravado, and more consistency and commitment, would be nice!
ZacM
Roar Rookie
I would agree with you if PG's shortcomings in big playoff games hadn't been a recurring theme over the last 6 or 7 postseasons. It also has to do with the fact I personally define a superstar as someone who can be a number 1 option on a championship contender which I do not believe PG is. This is due his shortcomings in playoff games combined with his lack of leadership shown off the court.
Ben Gray
Roar Rookie
Love this. The fact that there was so much buzz around Paul George coming into this season, working alongside Kawhi, and he has nowhere near lived up to expectations is insane. I think he has definitely had his moments in his career, and it would be hard to not say he is superstar, which is why I am perhaps hesitant to suggest that his lack of playing ability could in fact be due to having low levels of chemistry with this clippers team, and with Kawhi.
Davico
Roar Pro
Playoff P!! Good player but def not a Superstar!