Getty Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts after missing a basket in Game One of the Western Conference second-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on June 8, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Paul George is not having the greatest postseason so far. The Los Angeles Clippers forward just finished an ugly performance in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz in which he went 4 of 17 from the floor, making just 23.5 percent of his field goals.
George first coined himself “Playoff P” during the 2018 playoffs — during a series against the Jazz when superstar Donovan Mitchell was a rookie — but the nickname has had its ups and downs since. The Clips forward initially earned a reputation for delivering clutch performances in the postseason, but after shooting 39.8 percent from the field and and 33 percent from beyond the arc in the playoffs last year, he earned a new nickname: “Pandemic P,” and his playoff prowess has since been called into question.
After his poor shooting performance in Game against Utah, Jazz fans filled Vivint Arena with deafening “Playoff P” and “Overrated” chants. Here’s a taste of what Jazz fans threw at him:
🗣 OVERRATED
Jazz fans chanting at Paul George
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George Has Responded to Jazz Fans’ Taunts
To his credit, George has already responded to the chants, and his response was a solid one. “Yeah, I mean, I like it,” George said after the game. “That part doesn’t get to me. You know, it’s all respect. I’ve had good games here. I’ve had bad games here. That part doesn’t get to me. That’s part of this game to be honest. Crowds going to be involved. You want that. As an opposing player, you kind of want that.”
The veteran forward also pointed the finger directly at himself and acknowledged his poor shooting performance.
“I just didn’t shoot the ball. Fact of the matter, I didn’t shoot the ball well tonight,” he admitted. “But I’ll have a better approach. I thought I was Justin decisive on my approach. But I’ll be a little bit better on getting the shots that I want and taking those shots that I want.”
Clippers Were Aggressive Enough in Game 1, Says George
The Clippers led the Jazz by 13 points at the half in Game 1, but poor shooting on L.A.’s part allowed Utah to get back into the game, and the Jazz ultimately won, 112-109. George said he doesn’t think the Clips have anything to worry about, however.
“You know, we came out and we were the attackers. We were the aggressors. We just had a bad third quarter,” he said, referencing the paltry 19 points the Clippers scored in the third.
“That’s just as simple as it is. But we came out and we were the aggressors. We were in attack mode. We matched their physicality I thought. We had some plays where we were kind of lethargic, because like I said to start the game off, they were in desperation mode and playing hard and hustling way more than us. So we probably had some plays we wish we could take back. But that’s not an excuse to say the physicality was too much for us having two days off because we started the game off, you know, as the aggressors.”
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Clippers’ Paul George Brutally Trolled By Jazz Fans: [WATCH]