Assuming the 2019-20 NBA season resumes this summer, as expected, Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George could easily find himself in a playoff series against Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets.
Both men already know that series would be an intense battle.
George was teammates with Westbrook for two years in Oklahoma City before pushing his way to his hometown team in the 2019 offseason. But George made it clear on several occasions that his desire to leave had nothing to do with Westbrook, whom he greatly admired.
In a new interview with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, George took it a step further by saying that Westbrook’s will to win reminds him of Michael Jordan — considered by many to be the best NBA player of all-time.
Jordan’s Chicago Bulls are back in the spotlight given ESPN’s recent “The Last Dance” documentary, and George explained to Wojnarowski how many parts of the film reminded him of Westbrook:
A lot of tendencies that I see in MJ, I see that same fieriness in a guy that I played with in Russ. Russ wants to win at all costs, and you love him as a teammate. He’s a guy that every time he touches that floor, he wants to win, and he’s going to give everything he has. And I admire that.
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Westbrook is a nine-time NBA All-Star and the league’s 2016-17 MVP. Now 31 years old, he’s averaging 27.5 points on a career-high 47.4% shooting clip in his first season with the Rockets, along with 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. Should the Western Conference postseason bracket stay as it is today, Westbrook’s Rockets (40-24) and George’s Clippers (44-20) could meet in the second round of the 2020 playoffs.
For his part, George is averaging 21.0 points (39.9% on 3-pointers) and 5.7 rebounds per game during his first season in Los Angeles. Days after George was dealt to the Clippers last July, Westbrook helped arrange for his own exit from the Thunder via a trade with the Rockets.
The Rockets and Clippers split their four meetings in the 2019-20 regular season, with each team winning once on the other’s home floor. It would likely be among the most intense series of the playoffs, but one with clear mutual respect between the superstar players, as well.
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At all 😤 RT @JalenRose: I am not accepting any Westbrook slander!!!!
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) July 6, 2019