Paul George: Clippers are 'war-ready' after battle with Mavericks

The Los Angeles Clippers bounced back from a 2-0 series deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks in their opening-round playoff series. 

It wasn't pretty for a team that has a legitimate chance to come out of the Western Conference, but Paul George believes the difficulty will help the Clippers down the road. 

"They pushed us," George told reporters after L.A.'s 126-111 Game 7 win on Sunday, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "They got us war-ready. Great team we played. Unbelievable superstar in Luka (Doncic). They pushed us, they challenged us, but we stuck in there, hung in there, and played for one another."

The Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead to the Denver Nuggets during last year's Western Conference semifinals. A first-round loss to the Mavericks would've resulted in another offseason full of changes in L.A. 

George wasn't going to let that happen. He put the team on his back during Game 7, notching 22 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, while Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in the win. 

The Clippers will now shift their focus to the Utah Jazz, who they beat 116-112 during their last meeting in February. The Jazz won the regular-season series 2-1.