The nickname is new, but Playoff P is not.
Paul George showed up for the Thunder in Game 1. Playoff P is no surprise.
The name’s new but the playoff success is not.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Paul George’s 36 points on Sunday was an immediate reminder of that. Days after George dubbed himself Playoff P in front of Oklahoma City media, he nailed eight three-pointers — the 26th postseason game where a player has hit at least that many threes — in a 116-108 win in Game 1 over the Utah Jazz. From start to finish, George was unstoppable, and while his shooting will lead the highlights, don’t forget that he’s a defensive star behind the Thunder’s stingy defense as well.
George shows out in the postseason. In the 2013, 2014, and 2016 postseason runs, George averaged 21.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and a True Shooting Percentage of 57.5 percent while averaging nearly 41 minutes per game. Indiana went to consecutive conference finals in that stretch, and in 2016, they took the Toronto Raptors to seven games despite being a No. 7 seed.
So yes, while we should all be disappointed that George had eight years to think about a playoff nickname and came up with “Playoff P,” it’s a fitting enough one. Those versions of George are not the same as this one; George is an all-time example of player development, and he has slowly grown into the superstar he is now. But whether he was a two-way cog in Indiana or a 1B option to Russell Westbrook, this is what George does.
Headed in, this might have been the most widely debated series in the opening round. Oklahoma City has home court advantage, but the Jazz finished the season 30-8 since Rudy Gobert’s return in mid-January. George’s role in this series as a two-way monster will be crucial for Oklahoma City to hit their peak. Clearly, he can’t shoot like this the whole way, but he needs to be good. Utah had the league’s best defense in that stretch since Gobert returned, and so the Thunder stretching them out is a must.
George promised this, so he’s the one who’s putting pressure on himself to deliver. Through a game, he can’t do much more than he did.
Playoff P, indeed.
See More:
