Paul George’s Redemption Arc

Paul George and his legacy has been the talk of the NBA playoffs. Ever since he uttered the nickname, “Playoff P”, the criticism has followed. The postseasons after that interview have been must see TV. We all want to know as to what is Paul George is going to do next. George has had a multitude of bad playoff performances that have given the fans all of the ammo they need to ridicule him. The legacy of George is constantly knocked. However, perhaps it is time for it to change. Maybe it is time for George, and his legacy, to receive the respect every player wants.

Photo courtesy of Foxnews.com

Playoff Failures

George has had the misfortunes of playoff failures that not a lot of individuals have endured.  His only two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder were met with two playoff disappointments. We saw the young Utah Jazz, led by a rookie Donovan Mitchell, take them down. In game 6 of that series, George scored only five points on 2-16 shooting. He was absolutely  abysmal. Then the following season came around, but it was the same story. The Portland Trail Blazers not only won the series, but Damian Lillard hit a series winning three over George. It was a new all-time low for the All-Star.

The following year was George going back home to Los Angeles. It wasn’t the Lakers, but it was the Los Angeles Clippers he ended up at. He was teaming up with Kawhi Leonard and the championship buzz was very loud. The Clippers seemed destined to be a champion for the first time in franchise history. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The Clippers had a 3-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets in the second-round of the playoffs this past season. Somehow the Clippers blew the lead and lost the series. The image I have stuck in my head is George hitting the side of the backboard in game 7. It was the ultimate blow to his legacy. The “Pandemic P” nickname commenced and it went downhill from there.

The public did not care about any good game he had the following season. People only wanted to see him fail. They were finding humor as George was struggling with his mental. He had a great 2021 season, but it didn’t matter. The assumption was that George was going to enter the playoffs and flame out. A contender and Paul George just didn’t seem to correlate. No way can he redeem himself after years of embarrassment. His legacy to many was permanently damaged. However, something shifted in favor of George.

Photo courtesy of ClipsNation.com

His Redemption 

The 2021 playoffs are still going, but so much has happened. This Clippers team are in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their franchise’s history. Their journey has been one of ups and downs. They were down 0-2 and 3-2 in the first-round, but were able to prevail. In the second-round, they had to face the number one seed, Utah Jazz. After game 4, Kawhi suffered a knee injury and was lost for the remainder of the series. The Clippers had turned into Paul George’s team. He is the best player on the floor for them and had to be their leader. Knowing his history, he was doubted before the next tip-off. Can George actually carry a team? A team that is known for collapses and failures. This franchise can’t defy the odds with a player that is notorious for coming up short.

This time out was different for both parties. George led the Clippers the next two games and won the series in dramatic fashion. He was the best player on the floor. All of the doubt was washed away. It wasn’t Chris Paul or Kawhi that led the Clippers to the Conference Finals. George was the man for the job. The same man that was embarrassed after last season’s playoffs. The guy everyone laughed at. He was the one to help a franchise exercise their demons, while exercising his own. This was redemption for George. All of those playoff failures will be a part of the legacy. However, they will not define his legacy. He proved everyone wrong and can even further cement it. They are four games away from competing for the title. George has shown that he can lead a contender. Let’s just see how far he can take his team, and legacy.