Playoff P sure doesn’t have a good track record in the postseason, but he seems to feel this particular year will be different.
Paul George was abysmal in the playoffs last season, especially in the Clippers’ embarrassing collapse against the Nuggets. His history of performing in the regular season, but disappearing in the playoffs, continued.
However, he’s been indicating that he and the Clippers will rise to the occasion this year, despite all the criticism from pundits. They’ve yet to have advanced past the second round of the playoffs in their franchise history, but the players do appear to have something to prove.
And George, himself, has run out of excuses, so he’s not blaming whatever happens this season on the “bubble,” or mental health issues. In fact, he believes there’s a “big difference” from this year’s playoffs and last year’s.
“Well I think this year it’s been easier because I have outlets,” George said, via ESPN.com. “You know, I’m able to live a normal life. I can go home, I can see my family, I can spend time with my family, I can interact with other people outside of this team. And so that alone has just been a big difference to be back to some normalcy.
“It’s a big difference from the bubble life to where I’m at now from a headspace standpoint.”
George has averaged 23.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game this season. The question will be if he can carry those numbers into the playoffs, and perform at the same level.