“I was in a dark place”- Paul George’s postgame interview reveals why he couldn’t shoot like his normal self

Paul George owned up to his failures in the past 3 games after rebounding with a spectacular 35-point outing, leading the Clippers to a 154-111 win. 

In his post-game interview with Jarred Greenberg, Paul George revealed that he couldn’t enter ‘playoff mode’ in the games before this.

The Clippers star was very candid about how he wasn’t in the right frame of mind during the series and that is largely what led to his shooting woes.

Paul George comments on sub-par playoff performance

“Whatever it was, the bubble got the best of me. I was just in a dark place, I really wasn’t here – I checked out. These past couple of games, it was just difficult. But a shoutout to the people who’re still behind me, who’re in my corner. The positivity of my teammates, my family, friends, everybody! Thank you everybody that reached out to me.” Paul George said addressing his state of mind.

Also Read: Paul George blocks comments on his social media after hate messages

PG13 had been ridiculed and mocked a lot in the past week, and his ‘Playoff P’ reputation was replaced by the humiliating ‘Pandemic P’ reference.

“The bubble got the best of me. … I was just in a bad place. I found my way. I’m back.”

—Paul George on his struggles in the last few games pic.twitter.com/PmegD7zU1d

— ESPN (@espn) August 26, 2020

“For me, it was just hard to get into that playoff mode, you know. With no intensity here, no fans, no atmosphere. I was just lost. I thought we created the energy. I came in with the mindset that this is Staples, we’re at home, the place is packed. I really had to psyche myself up.” PG13 added.

However, Kudos to Doc Rivers and the entire Clippers outfit to stick by him and let him do this thing. Paul George has been a brilliant player in his NBA career and it was only time he rose to the occasion when his team needed it the most.

Did Shaq really reach out to Paul George?

In the post-game interview with Greenberg, Paul George was also asked about how Shaq reached out to him to which the Clippers big man had a puzzled answer.

Also Read: Paul George mocks Mavericks defenders while discussing shooting woes

He revealed that he didn’t quite know if Shaq had reached out to him. And then went onto say if it was the ’27 point’ prediction that Shaq had made about him.

“I didn’t know what message Shaq had (puzzled look). I saw something today, he said I’ll score 27. I don’t know if that was the message, but he did it.” PG 13 revealed.

It was great to see Paul George opening up to his mistakes and admitting to his vulnerabilities inside the Bubble atmosphere. For Clippers fans, it will now be important to see if he can keep up this performance and motivation level all through the post-season.