LOS ANGELES – Paul George has been motivated and fueled by ‘all the noise’ that surrounds him all season, and earning an All-Star spot is another ‘milestone’ in his bounce season, he said.
The LA Clippers guard was named one of the All-Star reserves selected from the Western Conference on Tuesday, joining his teammate Kawhi Leonard, who was previously selected as an appetizer in the Western Conference pool.
“With all the noise, everything that’s going on, you find motivation through it,” George said of all the criticism he’s heard since the Clippers’ collapse in the second round last post-season. “You dig deep, and you will be amazed at what comes out of it. It was honestly just to use everything as motivation, and to stir it all up for this year.
“[All-Star] is a good milestone, the beginning of how my season is going. But definitely [not] where I want it to end. So I got a lot more work. ‘
George, who shot his first five three-pointers on Tuesday before finishing 30 points in the Clippers’ 135-116 victory over the Washington Wizards, will make his seventh All-Star appearance.
However, George has joined a chorus of NBA stars who have expressed concern about an All-Star Game being held amid a pandemic this year.
“I’m just not a fan of it with everything going on,” George said. ‘I think it’s just smart [to not hold one]. … I have an amazing league; I do not discredit it. But I do not think – this is something in the midst of a pandemic. ‘
George also said he was fined this season for a precautionary measure for health and safety.
“Especially, [for] for personal reasons, I was fined for spending time with a teammate, or for having a teammate, and yet we love this All-Star Game, “George explained. So I again have personal reasons why I do not agree with the game. [being held]. “
George said he did not want to elaborate further on the fine, but said he would play in the All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta.
George averaged 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists on Tuesday night, with a shooting rate of 51.1%, including 47.1% behind the three-point arc.
The shooting guard was not an All-Star last season after failing to play in the Clippers’ first 11 games, as he was relieved in action again after the off-season show operations. Last post-season, George suffered a slump in the first round of the playoffs, before going 4-for-16 off the field and scoring 10 points in a 7-loss loss to the Denver Nuggets. the second round.
George said he has been “chirping” more this season from opponents who have only lived in the past. He is motivated to prove his doubters wrong.
“He’s always been an All-Star, you know, in my eyes,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. ‘He’s one of the top two-way players in our league; you know he’s been a while. ‘
“He deserves it. And the kind of year he’s having, you know, this year, it just shows the hard work he’s done during the summer to get to this point again.”