The Clippers will only go as far as Paul George takes them

What a second half from PG.

First there was “Playoff P.” Then there were all the jokes and criticism that are still thrown out on Twitter in the form of the tasteless “Pandemic P.”

But after what we saw out of Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George on Tuesday night in the 116-109 win over the Lakers, the hope is that there are signs a whole new “P” is here for the 2020-21 season.

Because if the Clips want any chance of taking down the Lakers — still clearly the favorites even in the losing effort — they need this Paul George, the one that came out in the second half and put the shooting woes that plagued him in the bubble behind him.

The Clippers entered halftime up 56-54, with a first-quarter lead by 20 completely gone. George, at that point, scored just five. The biggest highlight was this pass to no one but a ref in the first quarter:

Whatever was said or felt in the locker room clearly reached George. He went right at Anthony Davis on one play to start the second half, started cooking defenders in one-on-one situations and spotting up from distance.

When the Clippers gave George an expensive new extension earlier this month, my immediate thought was: that’s one way to give PG a boost of confidence. It’s one less distraction after all the off-the-court talk of a divided locker room, the coaching change and the disastrous blowing of 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. It was a huge vote of confidence from the front office and now, there would be no questions about the offseason in the next few years.

George also pointed out he had a healthier offseason after spending last summer recuperating from surgeries on both of his shoulders. That’s also huge. From USA TODAY Sports:

“I applied the work I put in this offseason,” George said. “It’s not going to be pretty every night. Tonight I got it going. I was able to show up big time for my team.”

The point, if you didn’t get it already, is that the Clippers’ season hinges on George. If second-half PG (Precise P?) can do that all season and carry it into the playoffs, they’ve got a shot. We know what they’re getting out of Kawhi Leonard. The supporting cast has some new additions — Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard and Nic Batum all looked good on Tuesday, give them credit — but they’re mostly the same.

But if the Clippers want to go far, they need George to stay locked in like he was on Tuesday night. And if this is a preview of what’s to come, that’s the best news for him and his teammates.

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