Paul George's legacy at stake in crucial Game 5 clash for Clippers against the Suns
NBA legacies are built in the postseason.
And perhaps no player has quite as much at stake, legacy-wise, as Paul George of the LA Clippers.
Throughout the course of these playoffs, George has fluttered between being called "Playoff P" after quality games and being "Pandemic P" following games in which he struggled.
For instance, in the Western Conference semis against the Utah Jazz, the latter nickname became the choice after George averaged 23.5 points on 34.3% from the field in a pair of losses in Games 1 and 2.
But in the next four games, all of which were wins for LA? He averaged 31.8 points and 47.8% from the field — "Playoff P" numbers.
A similar refrain has played out so far in the Western Conference finals against the Phoenix Suns, with Paul's performances under an even more intense microscope on the bigger stage.
Although he has averaged 27.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in four games of action, George's Clippers are down 3-1 in the series and staring at elimination on Monday.
What's more, George is shooting 35.8% from the field, 27.9% from distance and 69.8% from the free-throw line. Two of his costliest misses from the stripe came in Game 2's loss, in which the Clippers were up 103-102 with eight seconds left in regulation.
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The Suns capitalized on George's failure to extend LA's lead, securing the game winner with Deandre Ayton's unforgettable alley-oop from out of bounds.
And let's not forget when the unsavory "Pandemic P" moniker was born — during last season's playoffs, which were played in a bubble due to COVID-19 concerns.
Needless to say, a convincing performance with his back against the wall Monday could help reshape George's postseason narrative.
That could be a tall order, as Nick Wright pointed out on "First Things First." There's no denying George's effort against Phoenix — he's averaging 41.3 minutes per game — but the 31-year-old's efficiency just hasn't been there all series.
As George struggles to keep the Kawhi Leonard-less Clippers afloat against Phoenix, public opinion seems to trend in the wrong direction.
With Leonard out injured since Game 4 of the Jazz series, the remainder of the playoffs were viewed by many as an opportunity for George to prove that he could lead a team without another superstar alongside him.
That hasn't been the case, as Chris Broussard laid out on "Undisputed." If anything, Broussard said, a worn-out George has cemented himself as a quality second option, but nothing more.
When it comes down to it, you're only as good as your last game — at least in the immediate aftermath.
In Kevin Wildes' mind, a sensational showing, even if it comes in a losing effort, would do George a lot of good.
"I would like to see him go out, if the Clippers are going to lose, in just a blaze of glory." Wildes said. "I don't know if it's going to happen. And I don't know if it's going to insulate you to any criticism … but either way, I think Paul George should just play confidently. It's a storyline that I'm just done with — that Paul George doesn't show up in the playoffs."
There's more than the Clippers' playoff lives at stake in Monday night's Game 5.
George's legacy seems to be on the table, too.
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