On the street for much of the first round series against the Mavericks, Paul George regained his basketball last night in Game 5. A performance more in line with his Playoffs P nickname, but above all a performance that shows that the main party managed to overcome some inner demons.
It hasn’t been an easy week for Paul George. Far from there. Between Game 1 of August 17 in which he generally evolved at his level and Game 5 of last night where he shone brightly, PG-13 was really in the hard offensively. Three disastrous perfs – with just 11.3 points average and a terrible 10/47 shooting including 4/25 from the parking lot – that helped the Mavericks win two of three games. Obviously, the criticisms on his level of play have continued to accumulate, as well as the mockery. And when you add to that an unwelcome clash and not always very judicious statements which come back full blown, it becomes very complicated, especially in a bubble. Because yes, in the isolated universe of Disney World, where players evolve non-stop among themselves without being able to join family or friends, it can be particularly difficult to think of anything other than the orange ball. Celtics player Jaylen Brown had already raised the subject two weeks ago, “cutting basketball is impossible”. So when a star like Paul George – self-proclaimed Playoffs P – hits rock bottom in the spotlight, it’s even harder to come back.
“The bubble took over me. I was at the bottom of the hole. I was like absent. It was difficult, ”said Paul George immediately after Game 5, before adding at a press conference via ESPN, “Honestly, I underestimated mental health. I had anxiety, a little depression. Being locked up here. I was simply absent. Games 2, 3, 4, I was away. A big thank you to the people who supported me. “
Among these people, we have his teammates obviously, his coach Doc Rivers, but also the shrink of the Clippers.
“I felt the difference on Tuesday. I spoke with a shrink, the shrink on the team. My energy, my mood, it had changed. That’s all I needed. “
As Doc Rivers said, the bubble is not a “normal environment”, and some players have a harder time adjusting to it than others. No supporters, no real contact with the outside world, lack of benchmarks … it’s clear that it’s unique as a context, and it can cause anxiety and doubts. And when things go badly, those feelings can be heightened by the isolation of the campus.
“It’s really hard to be here. It is not easy. All day is basketball. It’s hard to escape it. You see guys from other teams. The NBA is to be congratulated for having succeeded in creating such an environment, but at the same time it is difficult. “
Now relaunched, Paul George will be keen to continue to permanently kill the Mavericks of Luka Doncic and leave this very bad period behind him. And then it will take more than a big performance to close the mouths because given the talent and the status of the guy, we have the right to expect a good Playoff campaign alongside Kawhi Leonard. But maybe this Game 5 was the trigger for Paulo. Maybe he is now released and will continue to hit the mark like yesterday. If so, we wish the competition good luck in picking up the Clippers.
Paul George is back, but it still requires confirmation. Last night, we reviewed a PG-13 in MVP mode, the one we would like to see more often in Playoffs. Come on Paulo, keep it up, the hard part is probably done.
Text source: ESPN
“The bubble got the best of me. I was just in a dark place. I really wasn’t here, I checked out.”
PG opens up about a tough couple of days following a big Game 5 performance pic.twitter.com/aV27ULdzSW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 26, 2020
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