DALLAS — You expected Kawhi Leonard to be listed as questionable before Game 4 of Clippers first-round Western Conference playoff series Sunday. Because you, me, we all see it: The man is fighting stubborn right knee inflammation and it doesn’t look like a fair fight.
What you probably didn’t expect so far this series is how questionable Paul George has been.
Not on the injury report – on the court.
The liquid smooth Palmdale hooper is mired in a pretty severe drought.
Poor timing for the spigot to seize up, too. The fourth-seeded Clippers – who don’t appear to be freaking out, but are down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series – are hoping to build some momentum to bring with them into their Intuit Dome debut next season.
They’d love to squeeze something magical yet out of the star-crossed 213 Era – and they’re having to do it with Leonard at a lot less than full strength.
Personally, for George, there figures to be some money on the line, too.
He didn’t want to talk about it when recently asked by reporters, but earlier this season George – who will have a $48.8 million player option going into next season – made no secret that he hoped to sign a contract extension with the Clippers.
Paul George end of media availability this morning after being asked repeatedly about contract extension discussions
He said earlier “That’s not where I’m at mentally right now.” pic.twitter.com/NTx4VoWExl
— Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 20, 2024
As of now, though, no deal. Which makes these playoffs feel like they could be something of a prime point of leverage for the nine-time All-Star with the laid-back disposition, the podcasting wing who’s shown before that he can be more than a wingman, if he must.
Like in 2021, when Leonard was lost to what turned out to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament midway through the second round of the playoffs? George helped will the Clippers past top-seeded Utah and into Game 6 against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals – further than any Clippers team before.
In that eight-game span, George averaged 29.6 points, 11 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals. So it was easy to picture a similar stretch this year, with Leonard’s limitations leaving a void for George to step up and into. Here was another showcase, borne again of necessity.
Instead, James Harden has been whom the Clippers have been leaning on, their newest star leading them with 23.7 points and 7 assists per game, despite some foot inflammation.
George’s contributions in the Clippers’ past two games, both losses? He’s averaging as many fouls – five – as baskets. It’s not even that the Mavs have knocked him off course, it’s been PG vs. PG – and for just 33 minutes per game.
I know, to George, it feels like foul trouble is following him wherever he goes. But are we sure he’s not out there looking for it?
We’ve seen a version of this movie before, this PG-13 flick that’s not scary enough to do much for adults but also isn’t something suitable for children to see.
Remember watching when the bubble got the best of George back in Orlando in 2020? When in Games 2-4 of the Clippers’ first-round series against the Mavs, he averaged a still-astounding 11.3 points on 21.3% shooting.
The pressure is different this time, but in some ways it feels like the sequel that wasn’t supposed to be.
They ended it with E.T., go home.
Now it’s like, P.G., stay home. Don’t go for the pump fake. Don’t reach. Don’t gamble.
Just … don’t?
Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic’s smooth co-star, also found himself in foul trouble early in Friday’s game, a chippy affair that the Mavericks won going away, 101-90. But Irving played 37 minutes, and he was available to pour in 19 points after halftime when his fifth-seeded Mavs needed his scoring punch.
In 3 games Kyrie is averaging 20 pts per 2nd half on 60% FG and 60% on 3s. He had 19 pts last night in a span of 10 mins in the late 3Q & 4Q. His postgame interview on our broadcast w/ @SkinWade was great and a good example of the value of these interviews pic.twitter.com/bYywP7q8mx
— Mark Followill (@MFollowill) April 27, 2024
Afterward, Irving explained how he’d stayed on the court: “It’s all IQ and understanding tendencies, but also understanding how valuable I am out here.”
That’s the message Clippers coach Tyronn Lue tried to convey to George, too: “We talked about it after the game. He’s one of our best players, we can’t have those fouls, we’ve got to keep you on the floor. It’s like a trickle-down effect, if he gets early fouls and then James has to play 44 minutes and he’s not himself.”
But George gets it. I’m sure he wants it. Maybe too much?
“Starting tonight, I thought I found a rhythm, I was in good rhythm,” George said Friday night. “I thought I was gonna be in attack mode all night and then you get sidelined and kind of scramble.”
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Will we see him go on the attack Sunday? It’s impossible to say, just like there’s no telling whether this will be a spoiler alert, but … previously on “Playoff P,” do you remember what happened in the series against the Mavs in 2020?
The Clippers won the series after taking Game 5, 154-111, when George poured in a timeline-cleansing, bubble-bursting, slump-busting 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting.
No question, they’ll need a similar plot device to propel them forward now. Or the series – and maybe even the show – could, in effect, be over.
Paul George’s bucket to foul ratio has gotten worse as this series has gone on
Game 1: 8 FGs, 4 fouls (W)
Game 2: 7 FGs, 5 fouls (L)
Game 3: 3 FGs, 5 fouls (L)
PG needs to figure out the foul situation on both ends for Clippers to win.https://t.co/afxjm8qfK0 pic.twitter.com/N8ExoI5S8E
— Law Murray (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 27, 2024