Paul George's playoff performance is once again a topic of discussion with Clippers down 0-2
The postseason is where legends are made.
And Paul George is still working on his legacy.
George is currently in the midst of his second playoff run with the LA Clippers, looking to turn the tide in Clipper-land after last year's disappointing Western Conference semifinals loss to Denver in a series that they led 3-1.
The Clippers' latest postseason run almost came to an even more unceremonious end, when they fell behind 0-2 and 2-3 to the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks before winning Games 6 and 7 to squeeze into the second round.
Now, LA is in familiar territory, losing the first two games to the Utah Jazz, getting dominated by their opponent's best player, and counting on Kawhi Leonard and George to pull them out of the deep hole.
But Leonard and George aren't the same.
"The Klaw" is a two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, whose legacy is all but stamped. On the other hand, George is one of the most talented players in the league but has yet to have the postseason breakthrough that puts him in the same breath as Leonard, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and others.
Beginning Saturday, he'll have another chance to ascend to that level, when LA looks to defend homecourt and nab a game off the top-seeded Jazz.
But on Friday's edition of "Speak For Yourself," Emmanuel Acho did his best to take a little bit of the pressure off of George in this year's playoffs – by proclaiming that maybe PG-13 just isn't who everyone thought him to be.
"We all believed the lie that Kawhi and PG were one of the best duos in basketball. They're not a duo. They're Kawhi Leonard and whoever else. … If we just would have believed from the outset, ‘Maybe Paul George isn’t as good as we think, particularly in the playoffs.' … then maybe we wouldn't be so shocked, flabbergasted, appalled, amazed … We wouldn't be in this predicament."
In two seasons with the Clippers, George is averaging 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the regular season. In the playoffs, his numbers have been solid as well, putting up 21.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
But if you dig a little deeper and see that his field goal percentage drops from 45.4% to 41.3% in the postseason, and his 3-point clip drops from 41.2% to 32.8% as well, it's evident that he's having some struggles in the biggest moments.
In addition, LA is just 11-11 in 22 playoff games since George and Leonard arrived.
This year's playoffs have been a bit of an up-and-down affair for George. He's averaging 23.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists, and has scored at least 20 points in all nine postseason games.
However, he's only shot above 50% from the field twice and has shot 40% or less four times. He is 20-for-63 from distance, a 31.7% clip.
In two games against Utah, George has struggled. He registered 20 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1, and put up 27 points and 10 rebounds in Game 2, but has only connected on 12 of his 35 field goal attempts.
The "Pandemic P" nickname has reared its ugly head again in recent weeks, but PG-13 can still do away with it if he's able to put together a few strong performances on his home floor, while also doing his part to slow down Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging 41.0 points through the first two games of the series.
But if his shooting struggles continue, the nickname might stick a little longer than he prefers.
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