Since leaving the Clippers and signing with the 76ers, Paul George has aired some dirty laundry about his former team without hesitation. He even dubbed them LA’s ‘B Team’ behind the Lakers, leaving the franchise’s fans incensed. However, Keyshawn Johnson came to the veteran forward’s defense, claiming his take was spot on.
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On Undisputed, the former NFL star-turned-analyst claimed that the Clippers have, and likely always will, play second-fiddle to the Lakers in LA. He noted they could’ve changed the narrative with a title win during their rivals’ tumultuous decade between their last two championships, but failed to capitalize on their downturn in form. Johnson said,
“While the Lakers were down, you had an opportunity to take control to some degree…They were never going to be A [Team] but at least you could’ve got some respect. They got no respect, zero respect.”
Paul George says being on the Clippers was like being on the “B Team”
“No matter what Steve Ballmer does, the Clippers will be second fiddle.” — @keyshawn pic.twitter.com/W28xkziWnv
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 24, 2024
The analyst even claimed that the incessant trolling of the Clippers and their lack of respect in LA played a role in George quitting the team and joining the 76ers. The forward, an LA native, was excited to return home in 2019 and help the ‘B Team’ gain notoriety in the City of Angels.
However, five disappointing seasons later, he said goodbye to his hometown again and moved to Philadelphia. No Clippers fan would’ve envisioned in 2019 that George and Kawhi Leonard’s partnership would only yield one Conference Finals appearance in five years.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard’s duo couldn’t do much for the Clippers
The 2019 offseason was inarguably the greatest in the Clippers’ history. George and Leonard joined a team that took the Golden State Warriors superteam to six games in the 2019 playoffs, and they were immediately dubbed the title favorites.
They lived up to their billing until Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs against the Nuggets. Leading 3-1 in the series, they were expected to clinch a win and set up a Western Conference Finals date against the Lakers. However, tragedy struck.
They blew massive leads in Games 5 and 6 and were blown out in Game 7, ending their campaign in the most humiliating fashion imaginable. To make matters worse, the Lakers would go on to win the championship and reclaim their throne as LA’s finest.
The following year, they made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, but neither George nor Leonard would feature in the series as they were both out with injuries. This would become a common theme over the next three years as either one of the two would suffer an injury come playoff time, destroying the Clippers’ hopes of a championship.
Five years of awful injury luck and relentless trolling was enough for George. He joined the 76ers to team up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, hoping to win at least one ring before he calls it a day on his Hall of Fame career.
As for the Clippers, they still have Leonard and convinced James Harden to stick around for two more years. However, it’s unlikely that those two veterans would be able to help the franchise wash off the ‘B Team’ tag.
