‘I got us’: How Clippers’ Paul George lived up to ‘Playoff P’ in Game 5 win over Jazz

The day started with the Los Angeles Clippers learning that star player Kawhi Leonard would miss a pivotal playoff game and possibly much more because of his sprained right knee. But Paul George told Clippers coach Tyronn Lue before morning shootaround not to worry about the circumstances.

“‘T, I got us,’” Lue recalled George saying.

Later that evening, George fulfilled his promise. He led the Clippers to a 119-111 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals in a game that offered short-term, long-term and symbolic implications.

The short term? With a 3-2 series lead, the Clippers have an opportunity to eliminate the Jazz in a Game 6 in LA on Friday and face the Phoenix Suns in what would mark the franchise’s first appearance in the Western Conference finals.

The long term? The Clippers outlined the blueprint on how to win without Leonard potentially for the remainder of the playoffs, a reality that George described as a “tough blow” considering Leonard had averaged more than 30 points in this postseason and appeared on the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team. The Clippers still had George, who had 37 points while shooting 12-of-22 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line along with a playoff career-high 16 rebounds.

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LA Clippers guard Paul George had 37 points in a Game 5 win against the Utah Jazz.

“It was no secret. I knew I had to be big tonight,” George said. “I have to be big going forward.”

And the symbolic? George offered his signature postseason performance less than a year after playing a large factor in the Clippers squandering a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. Paul became mocked routinely with his self-given “Playoff P” nickname after finishing with only 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting and five turnovers in a Game 7 loss to Denver. So when a reporter asked if George’s latest postseason performance more appropriately captures “Playoff P,” George laughed, smiled and then stared at the ground.

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“Sure,” said George, whose coaches and teammates spoke louder on his behalf.

Lue argued that George made a “big statement” by matching the longest streak in his 11-year NBA career with consecutive 30-point playoff performances (three) as well as becoming the first player in franchise history to have at least 20 points in 12 consecutive postseason appearances. That marks a far improvement from his first season with the Clippers during last year’s postseason outings against Dallas (18.5 points on 34.6% shooting) and Denver (21.7 points on 43.5% shooting).

“I have a lot of respect for PG,” Lue said. “You can’t judge a guy’s career off of what he’s doing off of one series. I know a lot of great players that have a bad series, a bad game or a bad two games in a series. He has a bad game and they want to make a big deal of it. So it’s whatever. Just keep playing and keep being who you are. At the end of the day, you can live with the results.”

The Clippers certainly could live with these results. They are on the verge of becoming the first team in NBA history to overcome a 0-2 deficit in consecutive series largely because of George.

He joined Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant as the only two players this postseason to have at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. But just because George etched his name in the Clippers record books does not mean he learned anything new about himself.

“Not anything I didn’t know already. I’ve been in Indiana where I had to lead a franchise,” George said. “The beauty here is I get to do that with one of the best in the world with Kawhi. Now, Kawhi is down, it was that mindset with being back in Indy and having to set the tone and come out and lead the ball club. That’s really the mindset that I came out with. There was nothing I had to prove and nothing I had to be surprised about myself. I just dig into a place that I had already been in my career.”

During his seven years in Indiana (2010-2017), George said he mostly leaned on “playing off of adrenaline and playing off of athleticism” en route to two Eastern Conference finals. After the Pacers accommodated his trade request, George then learned how to play with Russell Westbrook that led to two consecutive first-round exits in Oklahoma City (2018, 2019). After the Clippers acquired George two summers ago, George then spent his first season overcoming off-season surgery on his shoulders as well as playing with Leonard and a deep bench.

The Clippers never could find the right chemistry in the bubble amid overlapping injuries. George admitted struggling with mental health in the bubble because of extended time away from family during the pandemic. George had also questioned the X’s and O’s of former Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who incidentally oversaw the Philadelphia 76ers’ collapse in Game 5 of their playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

After the game, Lue relayed that George “thanked me for trusting and believing in me all season long.” An incredulous Lue asked, “Come on man, you serious?” George was.

“It’s everything,” George said. “I know I’m not going to be perfect. But T Lue has trusted me in every situation. It’s a beautiful thing. I learn from my mistakes. I’ll get better along the way. But he’s allowed me to make mistakes and grow from it. He’s done it all season long and has continues to trust me. The team continues on to trust me. So I got to go out there and continue to be me.”

George looked like himself in Game 5 – the player that has made seven All-Star games and various All-NBA teams because of his two-way versatility.

He drilled a fallaway jumper over Jazz forward Royce O’Neal and center Rudy Gobert. He drove to the rack past Jazz forward Derrick Favors on one play and through a double team on another. After driving past O’Neal, absorbing contact and finishing at the rim, George flexed his biceps. He muscled with Gobert, the NBA’s three-time Defensive Player of the Year, for consecutive rebounds for a putback. On another play, George threw Gobert off balance by pretending to drive to the basket before finishing with a fall-back jumper.

His play aside, George credited Lue’s even-handedness for helping the Clippers buy into the game plan that helped force the Jazz to miss all 10 of their 3-point attempts in the third quarter after shooting a combined 17-of-30 in the first half. George also praised his teammates “for making things easy for me,” as Marcus Morris Sr. (25 points), Reggie Jackson (22) and Terance Mann (13) all cracked double figures.

“(George) seemed calm,” Jackson said. “He was ready to put his team on his back and carry the extra weight. He showed up and proved why he’s one of the best players in this league and why he has been incredible for us throughout the entire season.”

So when the game ended, George embraced Clippers owner Steve Ballmer with a hug, a handshake and a few laughs. George also waived to Jazz fans, who had jeered him earlier this series with “overrated chants.”

“You love it. “As hostile as it is and as much as they’re against me, they’re against me for the right reasons. They love their team,” George said. “It gets no better when it comes to that energy. As loud as this crowd gets, they’re up there with the best of them. It’s fun. I enjoy it. I look forward to it. It’s a pleasure to be able to play in front of these fans.”

George might enjoy playing more in front of Clippers fans in Game 6. This will mark the first game that Staples Center can fill to full capacity after LA lifted all pandemic restrictions on Tuesday. But does that mean George can have the same kind of performance again likely without Leonard?

Who knows, but George maintained he will embrace the challenge after backing up his pledge to do so in a Game 5.

“Our season is alive because of his shouldering of all the work that he’s done,” George said of Leonard. “We got to hold it together and continue to keep this boat afloat.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Clippers’ Paul George lived up to ‘Playoff P’ in NBA playoffs win