Playoff P: Paul George speaks up on his heroic performance amid Kawhi Leonard's injury

Paul George has been one of the most criticized players around the NBA over the last couple of years. Despite being incredibly talented and impactful on both ends of the floor, the Los Angeles Clippers star has a history of underperforming in the playoffs.

That, plus his self-proclaimed nickname of ‘Playoff P’ and some off-court incidents with other players, has earned him a poor reputation lately, and that apparently also took a toll on his confidence entering last year’s playoffs.

That’s why it was so great to see him dominating in both ends of the floor, leading the Clippers to a huge Game 5 win over the Utah Jazz on the road, just when they found out that Kawhi Leonard was out for the season with an ACL injury.

Paul George Says Kawhi Leonard’s Injury Was A Tough Blow

George admitted that, even though losing their best player was a huge blow for them, the team is more than capable of coming together and picking up the slack to keep their playoff run alive:

“It was a blow,” the forwad told the media. “Oh man, it was a tough blow, but at the end of the day, we don’t want nothing but the best for Kawhi. It’s a positive he can get some rest, hopefully we can hold it down, but it’s a positive. He’s got a new baby boy here, lot of positives, lot of love for him and his family. We just we gotta do what we do, we gotta come together. Our season is alive because of his shouldering of all the work that he’s done, so we gotta hold it together and continue to keep this boat afloat until he returns.”

Paul George Says He’s Used To Being A Leader

George said that this is definitely what ‘Playoff P’ looks like. He added that this is nothing new to him because he was used to being the go-to-guy since he entered the league with the Indiana Pacers:

“I think back then it was more so just playing off of drilling, playing off of athleticism,” George said. “Because of those moments, because of the matchups against LeBron, playing against a tough New York team, playing against or battling against Atlanta, battling against Washington, because of those matchups as a young guy. It helped me mentally just to grow into a leader.

“As a young guy, the vets allowed me to lead. Coming into tonight, that’s really where my mindset was. I dug into that space of coming in trying to lead the team. Being down a big piece that’s irreplaceable, I knew I had to step in and fill some of the holes. That’s just what the mindset was coming into tonight,” he added.

George had one of the best playoff performances of his career with 37 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists; and has had a great postseason overall. So maybe, just maybe, it’s time his haters drop the ‘Pandemic P’ nickname once and for all.