In one of the best matchups of the playoff, thus far, the Los Angeles Clippers delivered a historically horrendous performance in front of their home crowd in Game 5. After thrashing their opponent 123-93, the Dallas Mavericks have relinquished the series. However, facing two of the most elite guards in the league, even without their star Kawhi Leonard, the Paul George-James Harden duo has carried the offense on their backs. After facing the biggest loss in the franchise’s playoff history, LA heads back to Dallas for a franchise-altering Game 6.
Advertisement
A loss would mean that the Clippers, who’ll play in the newly-built Intuit Arena next season, would bid adieu to the Crypto.com Arena with the most humiliating playoff loss in franchise history. It could potentially also be Paul George and James Harden’s last game for the franchise, as both are expected to test free agency in the summer. Despite the stakes, PG is confident going to Game 6 as he has been in a similar situation once before.
During Wednesday’s post-game press conference, the veteran forward emphasized that he wasn’t pondering about the consequences of a loss in Game 6 and was focused on having a good game,
“I don’t feel that pressure anymore. I’m not out there to prove nothing to anybody, but what I do want to do is just go and show up for my teammates, leave everything on the floor like I said, and just try to be a leader and live with the results. I’m going to play as hard as I can game six and give us the best chance I can give ‘em to go and get a win in Dallas.”
Paul George on how he handles an elimination game and if there’s pressure:
“I think the beauty of it is the older I've gotten, the less pressure it's been, honestly. I think when it comes down to it, you work your tail off all summer. You train for these moments to where if you… pic.twitter.com/d46YBKm2KC
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) May 2, 2024
Paul George: “we’ve been here before, going into Dallas down 3-2”
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 2, 2024
George also pointed out that the last time the Clippers faced a 2-3 deficit against the Mavericks in the playoffs, in 2021, they won the series 4-3. After scoring a double-double in Game 5, Paul George seems to be in form and ready to take over the next one. However, the Clippers have their backs against the wall and it will take a Herculean effort from their superstars for history to repeat.
Can Paul George save the Clippers and his reputation?
While Paul George claimed that he doesn’t feel any pressure, he perhaps could use some, given his performances in this series. Through five games, the veteran forward is averaging 19.8 points, six rebounds, and 4.8 assists, an underwhelming return considering Kawhi Leonard has missed three games and the Clippers have relied on PG-13 as the primary scorer.
The superstar forward was incredible in Game 4, as the Clippers narrowly avoided blowing a playoff record 31-point lead courtesy of his 33-point performance. However, on either side of that outing, he dropped poor performances in Games 3 and 5 which LA lost, managing only seven and 15 points respectively.
George is set to decline his player option and become a free agent in the offseason. If the Clippers lose Game 6 and are eliminated from the playoffs, it could be his last game for the franchise. If that proves to be the case, George and the Clippers will look back at their time together as a massive disappointment as the most they could manage was one Western Conference Finals appearance in five seasons.
