INDIANAPOLIS, IN — The LA Clippers are looking to pick up after the All-Star break exactly where they left off: winning games and chasing the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Paul George, along with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, has been a catalyst in the Clippers major run towards becoming the best team in the West.
Boasting a 36-17 record, the Clippers entered All-Star Weekend with the third best record in the Conference, two games back of the Minnesota Timberwolves and a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Paul George believes the Clippers still have a lot of room for growth as the second ‘half' of the season begins, but also says they would not be here if it wasn't for their early-season six-game losing streak.
“I think the six-game losing streak,” Paul George told ClutchPoints at All-Star Weekend when asked for his favorite part of the season. “The six-game losing streak. Because we knew we were gonna — we couldn't get worse from there. We're gonna get better and we knew once we started to win, things would start to click. So without that, I don't think we go on a 33-10 stretch or whatever that stretch looks like. I don't think we go on that run without those six losses.”
When the Clippers traded for James Harden on October 30th, they endured a six-game losing streak to drop to 3-7 on the season, including five straight losses to open up Harden's tenure here. Since making the starting lineup change on November 17th, the Clippers are 33-10, as Paul George noted, which is the second-best behind the Boston Celtics' 34-10 record in that span.
Now, with a real chance to close out the regular season strong and pursue the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, Paul George says the Clippers' biggest challenge will be retaining their focus and not looking beyond the ‘one game at a time' mindset.
“[The toughest part] is not looking too far ahead,” George said. “With 30 games, just not looking too far ahead, taking it one game at a time. Because that's what you tend to do in the second half of the season. You start to look ahead and look forward to playoffs and just trying to get to the playoffs. But we just gotta take it one game at a time.”
The Clippers have the seventh toughest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA. In their final 29 games, they'll take on each of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Milwaukee Bucks, and Phoenix Suns twice. LA also has games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Denver Nuggets remaining.
“I think when you look at teams that really have high expectations of winning, that's the pressure they all have,” George explained. “They all have that pressure of coming back and playing well in the second half and seeding ourselves where we want to be. Of course, we want to be highly seeded, we want to be one of the best teams, and we want to be playing our best in the second half, but I don't think there's any added pressure to it.”
The Clippers will tip off their post-All-Star break schedule against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, February 22nd. That game will be the third game in their season series which is currently tied at 1-1. Their first game back in Los Angeles will take place Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings.
In 50 appearances for the Clippers this season, Paul George is averaging 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 45.8 percent shooting from the field and 39.3 percent shooting from three. The nine-time NBA All-Star has dealt with a nagging groin/hip injury this season, and is using the All-Star break to prepare for the stretch run of the season.
Follow Us
Subscribe