LOS ANGELES – A 22-point lead had shrunk to one point, and the LA Clippers felt the Los Angeles Lakers down on Championship ring night.
The Clippers could have felt a déjà vu as they were about to blow a huge lead again. But Paul George made sure the Clippers didn’t suffer a bubble relapse and another epic collapse.
A red-hot George buried 10 of 12 shots, including four three-pointers, and scored 26 of his 33 points in the second half to open the Ty Lue era with a 116-109 win at the Lakers’ celebration at Staples Center on Tuesday night.
While this opening night victory doesn’t drive out any of the demons from the Clippers’ 3-1 collapse to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs, George helped the Clippers win this game in a way that helps to create a Some of the bitter taste left in their mouth from the bubble.
When the Lakers moved in 77-76 in the third quarter, George defeated the Lakers 10-2 to lift the lead to 89-78 by entering the fourth. Lue was asked what he saw from his guard in the second half.
“That he can’t be stopped,” said Lue.
When George was last seen in Game 7 in the bubble in Orlando, Florida, the shooting guard missed 12 of 16 shots, scored 10 points, and shot a 3-pointer off the side of the board in what was the useless symbol of the Clippers’. catastrophic playoff battle.
But at the start of this season, George vowed to be more like the player who finished third in the MVP vote during the 2018/19 season in Oklahoma City. He said he was finally healthy after undergoing shoulder surgery last off-season and was able to train again for this season.
“I’ve applied the work I’ve put into this off season,” George said after the win. “It will not be beautiful every night. Tonight I have it going and I could stand up big for my team.”
After the Clippers’ playoffs collapsed, team owner Steve Ballmer chose not to roll it back with the same roster and replaced Doc Rivers with Lue as coach. The Clippers also lost Montrezl Harrell and JaMychal Green to free agency, but signed Serge Ibaka, who had 15 points and 6 rebounds on his debut.
But no matter how big Ibaka’s perimeter shooting was, the Clippers hope the veteran’s presence and Lue’s ability to hold stars accountable improves locker room chemistry. The Clippers ‘lack of chemistry was a big factor in their post-season demise, and George spoke of the Clippers’ problems over the favored treatment of Clippers star duo Kawhi Leonard and himself.
“The guys who put it in, who built themselves up to be where they are, it’s one reason they get to that level,” George said when asked if preferential treatment is an issue during an interview on TNT’s Inside the NBA. “They know what they need and they know why they play at a high level.
“Whoever that offends, you know, we don’t have that problem in this dressing room right now.”
Leonard warned that the Clippers have a long way to go this season. But he liked the balance he saw from his teammates, as another big lead disappeared.
“We’re not thinking about last year,” said Leonard, who scored 26 points. “It’s a different team. I’m just glad we kept playing basketball more or less the right way. Even if we lost the game, the lead, we turned around, we stayed positive, we kept playing pretty much basketball. And that’s what I’m proud of tonight, that everyone had each other’s backs and spoke positively and we continued to communicate across the floor and win.
Leonard also said he felt George’s leadership should not be determined by his struggles in last season’s postseason.
“Last year in the playoffs, when he missed shots, he was still talking, communicating, playing the right way, playing defensively,” said Leonard. “They just didn’t fall for him. And tonight his shots fell, but he obviously makes my job easier by talking to people, giving instructions about missed assignments, or if we’re not playing the plays right.”