The Boston Celtics dropped their season opener 121-113 to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday after blowing a 22-point second-half lead. The collapse overshadowed what should have been a celebration.
Paul George scored a franchise-record 38 points in his Celtics debut. He shot 12-of-21 from the field, drilled 7 of 12 threes, and added five steals, five rebounds, and three assists. At 36 years old, he looked like the version of himself that most people assumed was gone.
After the game, George was asked by Noa Dalzell, when the last time was that he felt this healthy. His answer explained everything about why Tuesday night looked the way it did.
George on What Held Him Back
George traced his health back to his final season with the Los Angeles Clippers, the last time he felt fully right.
“My stint in LA. I was pretty healthy to finish my last year there, and then honestly, going to Philly, I just had a bad hyperextension that really set me back, and I couldn’t quite shake that one,” George said. “It was an ongoing thing of my leg, my knee not feeling strong, and it was rough, right? Because I was trying to rest, but I was also trying to be available for the team, and just couldn’t quite find the time to let it all come together.”
George was never healthy enough to be himself as a 76er, and the constant cycle of trying to play through it while trying to recover from it left him stuck in between.
That cycle is over. George said this summer for the Celtics was the first in years where he could focus on improving his game rather than rehabbing his body.
“Coming into this year, I knew it was going to be a big one,” George said. “I was just happy that I was able to attack this summer with working on my game, more so than rehabbing and working on my body. So it was a great summer for me.”
What Tuesday Night Showed
George shot 5-of-20 across his two exhibition appearances and called the preseason experience a “rough camp” as he adjusted to new schemes, new terminology, and legs that had not found their rhythm yet.
“The camp legs were just heavy. I was winded a lot of times,” George said. “But I’m getting my wind back. I’m getting my legs back. I feel like I’m getting my pop back.”
Tuesday confirmed that the pop is back. George scored 12 points in the second quarter and 17 in the third. He moved without hesitation, found his spots on the floor, and played with a confidence that his Celtics teammates noticed immediately.
“He was unbelievable,” Jayson Tatum said. “Just the confidence he played with.”
Final Word for the Celtics
The loss stung. George made that clear.
“I’m not a moral victory guy, so it means nothing,” George said. “We lost.”
The record-setting Celtics debut will not count for anything on its own. But what it revealed about George’s health, his confidence, and what he can still do at this stage of his career matters well beyond one night in Detroit.
The last two years were lost to injuries and circumstance. George is playing like a man who knows exactly how much time he wasted. He does not plan on wasting any more.
Celtics’ Paul George Makes Revealing Admission After Boston Debut