PAUL GEORGE Came Back & Did THE UNTHINKABLE

With the game on the line and trying to complete a 25 point comeback, the Clippers run this play for Paul George. He curls around the screen at the free throw line and has the open lane for the alley oop. But the pass is overthrown so look at this superhuman athleticism from PG as he somehow catches this ball with 1 hand and simultaneously finds the cutting big man all while in the air.
Paul George is definitely back with a vengeance and this wasn’t the only impressive thing he did, so let me show you exactly what happened and why the Clippers are all of a sudden the scariest lower seed in the west.
What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it.
First of all, look at this clampdown on Conley early on in the first quarter. George is all over him, and his length allows him to pick Conley’s pocket, making his presence felt on the defensive end first and foremost.
He had 3 steals in the first, showing that he hasn’t missed a beat in terms of moving his feet and helping his teammates as he does on these plays.
Offensively it took some time to score his first field goal, but the Clippers run a high pick for him, Gobert is retreating, and PG stops on a dime having all this space to raise up from downtown, and of course knocks down his first bucket in 3 months.
Look at the game clock, this is the very next possession, George is feeling himself after that first make, so he again fires away from the same spot and the same result.
Shortly after, LA has him curling from the corner here, first around the Kennard screen, to get the hand off from Hartenstein right here, and we got a 2 on 1 situation. PG could try to lob it but instead he jumps and glides past Eric Paschall for the elegant finish.
But even with all of this, the Clippers could not stop Utah in the first half and they fell behind by as much as 25 points.
And this is where George took over. Coincidentally, this is also when the Clippers went with a small lineup. More on that later.
Right here again, PG wants Gobert on him, so they get the switch, George makes sure the big man stays on him, before stepping outside for another 3 point shot hitting it in Rudy’s face.
Another high pick and this time Paschall is in the game, so you know this is going to be a drive to the bucket similar to how he did it in the first half against him.
So you see the pattern here. Trying to get the big men on PG, and from there, if it’s Gobert we got the shot, and the drive against Paschall. He had 20 in the third quarter firing up the crowd and cutting the lead in half.
So in the fourth even with George playing only 6 minutes due to being on minutes restriction from the coaching staff, the Clippers continued with the smaller lineup with Hartenstein instead of Zubac and punished Utah time after time.
This is becoming a pattern for the Jazz, and ever since the Clippers themselves exposed them in the playoffs, now teams have been doing it more against them this season, so once again you see it happening on all of these possessions.
So once their leader came back, we got this stepback 3 pointer against Jordan Clarkson, and just seconds later on defense, he stays active, swipes at Donovan and gets the steal for a chance to cut into the lead even more.
And finally in the clutch, down by 1, he runs by both Conley and O’Neal, deep into the paint, and with all the attention on him, he kicks it out to the 3 point sniper on the team Luke Kennard, to get the lead that they would hold on to till the final buzzer.
A phenomenal comeback game of 34 points, 6 assists and 4 steals on 50% from the field and 6 for 9 from downtown.
Not only do the Clippers got PG back, but Norman Powell is supposed to join them very soon, as they are all of a sudden a dangerous team for the playoffs.
Now, of course we don’t have any info on him, but if somehow, someway Kawhi Leonard also comes back, things are about to be insane. Let’s wait and see. That’s it for now, subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.