Paul George can now officially tout the “Playoff P” nickname after an outstanding performance for the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 against the Utah Jazz.
If you wrote off the LA Clippers with Kawhi Leonard out injured, it’s time to pay tribute to the one, the only, Playoff P.
Paul George was an absolute monster without his co-star on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City, driving Los Angeles to a Game 5 victory over the Utah Jazz and a 3-2 advantage in the series.
On a night when the Clippers needed everything from their second star, they got exactly that.
Paul George gets to own the Playoff P nickname
People do love to hate, so an apology tour is definitely going to be necessary.
https://twitter.com/HoodieLBJ/status/1405380552040067073?s=20
Paul George has 30 without Kawhi in 3 quarters…. Playoff P apology form time ✍️ pic.twitter.com/C7FmNjHv9X
— 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙮🚫𝙛𝙛𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙣 (@Play0ffBron) June 17, 2021
Every one of yall better apologize to Playoff P tomorrow, regardless of outcome of this game
— Quartz (@FudgevsThirst) June 17, 2021
In this case, the internet was all about Playoff P. The phrase itself was trending on Twitter as George racked up 37 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
35-15-5-1-1 on 67.4% TS for Paul George while missing his co-star. Talk about it.
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) June 17, 2021
Paul George is actually living up to the Playoff P name pic.twitter.com/MyNFP9D4bv
— Thomas Cavanagh (@TJ_Cavanagh) June 17, 2021
Respect needs to be placed on Paul George aka Playoff P’s name mane !
— Jon Coleman (@LegendNTheMakin) June 17, 2021
I'm not a clippers fan but damn it I want to see Playoff P succeed 💯🙏 pic.twitter.com/8YlYeq2w1S
— Kenny (@KennyyP03) June 17, 2021
100 years pass and Playoff P has finally been found 🤣🤣🤣 #LACvsUTA pic.twitter.com/22tQmIzlsO
— Fun Guy (@FunGuyBurner) June 17, 2021
Paul George is officially Playoff P pic.twitter.com/Q8r0j1O8ua
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) June 17, 2021
As it turns out, George was Playoff P all along.
Paul George is the first player in Clippers' franchise history to score 20-plus points in 12 consecutive playoff games, per Clippers PR
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) June 17, 2021
George got some help from Marcus Morris, who went off himself with 24 points.
https://twitter.com/pchgalexx/status/1405378462576254978?s=20
Reggie Jackson also came through with a huge fourth quarter, tallying 20 points in total.
While it was a team performance to get the win despite Leonard’s absence, George was at the heart of it all.
The Clippers were without Leonard because of a knee injury that is set to keep him out indefinitely. Since he had been the key figure in LA’s first round comeback against the Dallas Mavericks and a vital part of their two previous wins over the Jazz, it was fair to assume his absence would be a huge problem for the team.
While fans might have hoped to see George step up, him doing so as thoroughly as he did in Game 5 was still a surprise. Playoff P has truly arrived.