Paul George responds to critics with 41, Clippers beat Suns to stay alive, force Game 6

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Segments of NBA Twitter seem to watch Paul George, ready to pounce on the slightest mistake.

DeMarcus Cousins ​​has George’s back.

I don’t know where these lagging bulls *** came from, where the internet is controlling the narrative of these players. It gets silly, ”Cousins ​​said. “He’s one of the most special players to ever lace up his shoes. Give that dude his flowers.

George won the full package Monday night 41 points, including 30 in the second half when he shot 10 of 12, plus 13 rebounds and six assists. Whenever the Clippers needed a bucket in the second half, there was George as Los Angeles pulled away from the Suns in charge and claimed a 116-102 win in Game 5 on the road.

The Clippers were left alive, but the Suns still lead the Western Conference Finals 3-2 with Game 6 Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Even before an impressive playoff streak this year, George had a career in the NBA that almost any player would envy: six times All-NBA, four times All-Defense, seven times All-Star and a return from a horrific injury to the leg that could have ended his career. Two years later, he was helping the US team win gold at the Rio Olympics.

Still, fans seem to focus on his flaws more than other stars, George brought some, but not all, to himself with comments and actions. But he noticed the trend.

“It’s a fact. But I can’t worry about that. It comes with the job, I guess,” said George. “For me it’s not just about scoring. to be able to play on both sides, to bounce back and to make plays for the others. And so I am beyond [what some fans think], you know what I mean? I am beyond that. I am who I am. I wish I could shoot 80%, 75% every night, but that’s not realistic.

He shot well in Game 5, 15 of 20 for the game. He got help from Reggie Jackson, who had 23 points, and Marcus Morris, who added 22.

The Clippers were without Ivica Zubac (knee) which forced Tyronn Lue to go small however, this is where the Clippers have been most comfortable these playoffs. This is the lineup that the Clippers are expected to play more of in this series.

Los Angeles came out of the play area and that threw Phoenix at the Clippers and took a 7-0 lead that turned into a 20-5 lead.

“It’s just unacceptable the way we started the game,” said Suns coach Monty Williams. “It was a big hole for us. It’s pretty obvious that we can’t play with a show-up mentality. We showed up in the first quarter and they played desperately, straightforward and clear. “

Things couldn’t have been better for the Clippers in the first half. They attacked the paint (34 points in the Suns 8 paint), were strong on the glass despite playing small most of the half and, most importantly, played fantastic, focused defense. They were leading 59-52 at the break, and it would have been more if it hadn’t been for a defensive gap leading to a superb shot from Booker.

Devin Booker catches, fakes and shoots to beat the 1st half buzzer… BANG! #NBAPlayoffs on ESPN pic.twitter.com/YFISj96Eqn

– NBA (@NBA) June 29, 2021

In the third, the Suns pushed, but it was 20 points from George that continued to push the Clippers ahead. Deandre Ayton, who’s been so critical for the Suns every series, was a lot less punchy (he still had 10 points and 11 rebounds). Partly that was how the Clippers had mitigated Rudy Gobert’s impact in the last set, and partly a good night from DeMarcus Cousins ​​on the bench, with 15 points and solid play.

“He’s a great player,” Lue said of Cousins. “He suffered a few injuries which is unfortunate. But guys forget, he was a maximum player before he suffered all of these injuries. Just have the presence of the post on the ground. He’s a great passer when he catches him low. It’s hard to manage there. The fact that he has 15 points off the bench was a huge spark for us to get PG and Reggie to rest and Marcus to rest.

Phoenix got 31 points from Devin Booker on 9 of 22 shots (but 4 of 6 on 3 points) and 22 from Chris Paul, in addition to eight assists. All this was not enough.

Throughout the playoffs, when the Clippers were challenged with their backs to the wall, they found other gear. This is how they went from 0-2 in two sets to the final of the Western Conference. These Clippers, unlike previous teams, can take a punch and come back stronger. They are the definition of resilient.

are the suns? Their biggest test comes on Wednesday night, when the Clippers return home and try to force a Game 7.

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