LOS ANGELES – A 22-point lead had shrunk to one, and the LA Clippers could feel the Los Angeles Lakers coming after them on the night of the championship ring.
The Clippers could have already felt vu as they were about to throw another massive advantage. But Paul George made sure the Clippers would not suffer a recurrence of the bubble and yet another epic collapse.
A Red George buried 10 of 12 shots, including four triples, and scored 26 of his 33 points in the second half to open the Ty Lue era with a 116-109 victory to lessen the Lakers’ staples at Staples Center on Tuesday night.
While this opening night victory doesn’t exorcise any of the demons from the Clippers ’3-1 crash in the second round of the Denver Nuggets playoffs, George helped the Clippers win this game in a way that helps when washing some of the bitter taste left in the mouth by the bubble.
When the Lakers went 77-76 in the third quarter, George outscored the Lakers 10-2 to push the lead to 89-78 in the fourth. Lue was asked what he saw from his guard in the second half.
“It’s unstoppable,” Lue said.
When George was last seen in Game 7 of the ball in Orlando, Florida, the goalkeeper missed 12 of 16 shots, scored 10 points and fired a 3-pointer from the side of the panel into what became the useless symbol of Clippers’ catastrophic playoff fight.
But as he enters this season, George has promised to look more like the player who finished third in the MVP voting during the 2018-19 Oklahoma City season. He said he was finally healthy after undergoing shoulder surgery outside last season and was able to train again before this season.
“I applied the work I put in this off-season,” George said after the victory. “It’s not going to be nice every night. I started tonight and I was able to introduce myself to my team.”
After the fall of the Clippers playoffs, the team’s owner, Steve Ballmer, chose not to repeat it with the same list and replaced Doc Rivers with Lue as coach. The Clippers also lost Montrezl Harrell and JaMychal Green in free agency, but signed Serge Ibaka, who had 15 points and 6 rebounds in his debut.
But no matter how big Ibaka’s perimeter shot was, Clippers hopes the veteran’s presence and Lue’s ability to respond to the stars improves the locker room chemistry. Clippers ‘lack of chemistry was a major factor in the fall of the postseason, and George addressed discussions about Clippers’ problems with the preferential treatment given to Kawhi Leonard’s Star duo and himself.
“The guys who put it to work, who built it to be where it is, it’s a reason they get to that level,” George said when asked about preferential treatment being a problem during interview on TNT Inside the NBA. “I know what they need and I know what makes them play at a high level.
“Anyone offending, you know, we don’t have this problem right now in this locker room.”
Leonard has warned that the Clippers have a long way to go this season. But he liked the balance he saw from his teammates as another important advantage evaporated.
“We’re not thinking about last year,” said Leonard, who scored 26 points. “It’s a different team. I’m glad we continued to play basketball pretty well. Even though we lost the game, the leadership, we came back, we stayed positive, we continued our basketball game quite a lot. Offense. that’s what I’m proud of tonight, that everyone had their backs to each other and spoke positively, and we continued to communicate on the floor and push for a win. “
Leonard also said he believes George’s leadership should not be defined by his postseason struggles last season.
“Last year, in the playoffs, when he missed the shots, he kept talking, communicating, playing the right way, playing in defense,” Leonard said. “They just didn’t fall in love with him. And tonight, his blows fell, but obviously it makes my job easier by talking to people, giving instructions on failed tasks or if we don’t play the parts right.”