Paul George 'looks pretty tired' while logging heavy minutes during Clippers' playoff run

PHOENIX – As he stepped to the free-throw line, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George witnessed two things.

He heard loud boos coming from all directions. He also saw fans waving their hands frantically in hopes of distracting them.

Moments later, George missed two free-throws. Not to overlook Suns center Deandre Ayton throwing down a lob off an inbounds pass that led to Phoenix’s 104-103 win over the Clippers on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. But George’s missed foul shots with 8.2 seconds left and the Clippers also marked a critical turning point.

After struggling during last year’s playoff collapse in the bubble, did George become overwhelmed with this moment as well?

“I'm not going to put too much on that,” George said. “We still were in position to win a ballgame late in the game.”

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The Clippers were in that position because George had 26 points, six rebounds and six assists while the Clippers missed Kawhi Leonard for a fourth consecutive game because of a right knee sprain. With George shooting 10-of-23 from the field and 1-of-8 from the 3-point line, however, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue conceded that George “looked pretty tired.”

And why wouldn’t he?

The Clippers ruled out Leonard for Game 3 on Thursday at Staples Center, which places a huge workload once again on George. He currently leads the NBA in most postseason minutes played per game among active teams (40.7). Overall, George ranks second only behind Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (41.3). George has played at least 40 minutes in 10 of the Clippers’ 15 playoff games. That has coincided with the Clippers playing those 15 games in the past 31 days.

Therefore, Lue noticed George struggling with fatigue in Game 2. Though George had 34 points in Game 1, he showed better numbers from 3-point range (7-of-15) than from the field (10-of-26).

“Whenever he's taking a lot of jump shots and not really attacking, you can see he's a little tired,” Lue said. “But he wants to win.”

Therefore, George told Lue during Game 2, ‘Coach, whatever you need, I'm ready to do it." Despite his inefficiency, George still made key plays before failing to convert on his foul shots. He had six points in the final minute, including a 22-foot jumper that gave the Clippers a 103-102 lead with 22.2 seconds left. George could not continue that strong play when he stepped to the free-throw line.

“It's not his fault,” Lue said of George’s missed foul shots. “Without him, we wouldn't be in the game, anyway.”

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That only cuts to the central dilemma that the Clippers could face. With Leonard remaining sidelined, has George’s workload become too much?

“I have no feelings toward that,” George said. “It's playoff basketball. It's whatever it takes. If I have to do more, I'll do it. It's whatever it takes to win, and I have no feelings towards whatever minutes I'm playing on the court.”

After all, George anticipated needing to carry this heavy workload well before Leonard’s injury. George has since recovered from off-season shoulder surgery that sidelined him for a combined 24 games last season. But George missed 18 games this season for different ailments and he missed four of those games just for rest purposes, including the Clippers’ final two regular-season games.

“Just preparing his body for the playoffs all season long,” Lue said. “I think the time we gave him off during the season, just making sure he can come into the postseason with no injuries and feeling good as far as wind-wise.”

So much that Lue said that George told him before Game 2 that “he feels great.” Lue no longer thought so after the game.

That leaves the Clippers both hopeful and uncertain whether George can recharge enough in time for Game 3.   

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