Entering their first playoff series together for the LA Clippers, Paul George said he and Kawhi Leonard visited during the hiatus of the season to continue developing their chemistry together.
“I went to where he was [near San Diego], got to where I was [near Los Angeles]”George said Saturday when asked about the duo’s chemistry improvement.” We spent time together – the whole group did, not just me and him – on a few occasions. The whole group spent time together during the break.
“I think we made up a lot of time. While we weren’t together, I think we made up for all of that during this break. It accelerated this process being here.”
Second-seeded Clippers opens their post-season run against seventh-seeded Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Last summer, the Clippers traded for George and signed Leonard into free agency with one goal in mind.
“I mean, we want to win the championship,” said George. “This is why we are committed to being here. It’s that simple. We should have a goal and we have a goal, and that’s to win.
“But I also think we’re looking at this from a long-term perspective too, that if it doesn’t happen, it’ll build us even more going down the stretch, going into next season. But first things first. We’re here to compete for that championship. , and nothing else matters except to win it. “
Leonard averaged 27.1 points and 7.1 rebounds, while George averaged 21.5 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Clippers (49-23). But a major problem all season for the Clippers has been their chemistry.
The Clippers have had their full roster available in just 11 games this season. Injuries, lack of time to train, and new additions to the team in February disrupted their chemistry. Then came the four-month hiatus due to the coronavirus. And during the reboot into the NBA bubble, manager Doc Rivers didn’t have his full roster available due to delays, injuries, and players leaving the bubble for family emergencies. Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley have left the NBA campus for justified absences.
Beverley suffered a strained left calf and Landry Shamet sprained his left foot. Harrell missed all seeding matches and returned last Sunday. He is expected to cancel his seven-day quarantine on Monday and be eligible to play Game 1 against the Mavericks.
A positive aspect for the Clippers, however, was that Leonard and George were able to gain valuable time on and off the pitch alongside Orlando and also during the break. They decided to team up last summer and are now entering the playoffs as second-seeded in the West.
“It’s a great result,” Leonard said of making the playoffs. “For me, Paul and the rest of the guys who were here, being the eighth seeded last year, we entered a new system, able to play our first year together so well under all these circumstances. .. We are still on the journey. We just have to keep enjoying each day and the process. “
Rivers says the Clippers are about to resume their full pace in the bubble. They were doing well before the season ended in March, winning seven out of eight games. George and Leonard wanted to make sure they didn’t lose much of the bond that was being built when the pandemic struck.
“We spent a lot of time out of the bubble,” George said before the Clippers arrived in Orlando for the reboot. “I visited him, he came to see me. We spent time in the bubble. For us it is more and more being together, learning each other, understanding each other. The more we are together, the more and better the chemistry takes.
“For us, kids like the ball in different places, they like to play a certain way. It’s just about figuring out where they like the ball in their space and around them. Vice versa. That’s all they really want. reduces. “
.
