The Los Angeles Clippers came out with an impressive performance in their Game 3 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday. It was a must-win game for Kawhi Leonard and Co., with the Jazz holding a 2-0 advantage in the series prior to LA's convincing 132-106 victory in Game 3.
If you ask Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O'Neal, however, the Los Angeles Lakers legend believes that Leonard is NOT the most important player on the Clippers roster right now. In his mind, Shaq firmly believes that this role belongs to Paul George:
“For the Clippers, Kawhi is the best player on team, but most important guy is the Playoff P,” O'Neal claimed, via Nico Martinez of Fadeaway World. “Playoff P plays like he played the other night, it will be tie. It’s all going to be on Playoff P’s shoulders tomorrow.”
Shaq did acknowledge that he believes Kawhi remains to be the best player on the squad. However, what he's pointing out here is that Paul George's play will determine the Clippers' success against the Jazz.
In Game 3, George was in stellar form, finishing with 31 points on 12of-24 shooting, to go along with three rebounds, five assists, and a steal. PG also went 6-of-10 from distance to cap off one of his best performances in the postseason thus far.
The Clippers still have a long way to go here, and while the Jazz currently still hold the advantage, this series is anything but a foregone conclusion. As Shaq emphasized in his statement above, Paul George is likely going to be the x-factor in what has been a tremendous battle between these two sides.
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