The Los Angeles Clippers came away with a crucial win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the first round, and Paul George’s clutch three-point shot late in the game to give the Clippers the lead back was one of the crucial moments of the game. Paul George went into the shot itself, and the interaction he had with Kyrie Irving’s father after he hit the three-point shot.
“After hitting that corner three the person I was talking to was actually Kyrie’s dad,” Paul George said on Podcast P presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. “Kyrie’s dad looks at me and he’s like… right? So I’m like, ‘Yeah pops I got that too.'”
That is an interesting detail to learn about George’s clutch shot. It helped the Clippers stave off a Mavericks team that stormed back from a 30-point deficit. The Mavericks took the lead briefly, with Kyrie Irving leading the way, along with Luka Doncic contributing as well. George’s three-point shot gave the Clippers the lead for good, and George said he was a bit behind the backboard when he took the shot as well, which is why he got the shot off faster than he usually does.
“I kind of was [behind the backboard],” George said on Podcast P. “I had to release the ball a little earlier than usual. Like usually a fade, I can hang and hold it for a little longer before releasing, but because I knew I was fading out in that corner the backboard is kinda more forward so that like you can get stuck behind the backboard and that ball could possibly hit the side of the backboard or hit behind the backboard and go out of bounds from that angle. I didn’t want to get stuck trying to hold on to it. Now he’s contesting. Now I’m in trouble. I was a little bit behind the backboard when I made that shot.”
It is always interesting to hear the player’s perspectives on these types of plays. It helped the Clippers escape Dallas with the series tied 2-2 instead of coming back home for Game 5 down 3-1.
Clippers’ outlook for rest of the first round
The Clippers return home on Wednesday to play Game 5 of this series against the Mavericks. They clearly have enough firepower to get it done, but they will have to do so without Kawhi Leonard in the fold, as he was ruled out with knee inflammation.
It is not clear when Kawhi Leonard will return for the Clippers, and he very well could miss the rest of this series. Los Angeles will look to take advantage of home court in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series, then hope to get Leonard back for a potential closeout Game 6 in Dallas.
It will be on George and James Harden to pick up the slack for Leonard in his absence.
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