LOS ANGELES (AP) — The time Paul George has been waiting for is
now.
The Los Angeles Clippers star, so good during the regular
season, has another chance to rewrite his disappointing playoff
history starting Saturday in Game 1 of a first-round series against
the Dallas Mavericks.
George made no secret of his struggles living in isolation in
the NBA bubble last season. Away from his family and only seeing
the same faces over and over affected his mental health. He all but
disappeared in a Game 7 loss to Denver in the West
semifinals, with 10 points on 4 of 16 shooting.
“This year has been easier," George said. “It's a big difference
between bubble life to where I am now from a headspace point."
That's good news to the Clippers, who pit their star duo of
George and Kawhi Leonard against the Mavs' single superstar Luka
Doncic.
"It's just about between the ears now," said Leonard, the
two-time NBA Finals MVP. "How much are we willing to sacrifice to
get a ring, how much of our mind and body are we going to put into
this playoffs?”
The fourth-seeded Clippers are a 5 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
The opener is an early afternoon game at Staples Center, a time
of day that didn't work out too well for the Clippers in the teams'
first meeting. The Mavs thrashed them by 51
points on Dec. 27, raising questions about whether the Clippers
would be title contenders.
“It's an adjustment when you're playing that early,” George
said.
His teammate, Ivica Zubac, lamented, “I can't take a nap.”
The Clippers don't want to be caught sleeping, especially as
they seek to put last season's playoff demise far, far behind them.
They beat the Mavs in six games in the first round of the bubble,
only to blow a 3-1 lead in losing to Denver.
Unlike in the bubble, they'll have the advantage of playing in
front of a limited home crowd at Staples during the best-of-seven
series.
Led by Doncic, fifth-seeded Dallas is seeking to win its first
playoff series since earning the NBA title in 2011. He averaged 31
points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists against LA in last year's
playoffs.
“The level of the challenge is huge,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle
said. “We've got to be fearless. We've got to be very together.
We've got to be very focused.”
ALL HEALTHY
Both teams enter the playoffs healthy, something that wasn't
always the case during the season. Leonard missed several games
with a sore right foot, something he said he's been playing with
for a while. “I'll be capable enough to play,” he said.
Serge Ibaka just returned for the Clippers, and with only two
games under his belt, he'll be working off the rust.
Mavs forward Maxi Kleber missed six of his last eight games with
a sore right Achilles, and his status is up in the air. He was the
primary defender against Leonard last year.
THE POINT IS
The Clippers figure to run the point by committee. Reggie
Jackson has been reliable throughout the season and Patrick
Beverley is back from an injury. They've also got Rajon Rondo,
acquired in a midseason trade to provide an experienced veteran who
acts as an assistant coach when he's on the sideline. Whoever shows
the ability to slow down Doncic ("the head of the snake," according
to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue) will get the most minutes.
DONCIC'S RESET
Doncic avoided a regular-season suspension by holding at 15
technicals, tying with Philadelphia's Dwight Howard for most in the
league. The Dallas star actually was called for 16, which would
have triggered a one-game suspension, but it got rescinded by the
league office.
The good thing for him is that the tech count resets for the
playoffs. He would need to rack up seven to be suspended, and the
Mavs can't afford to be without his emotion and energy.
NO HARD FEELINGS
Marcus Morris and Doncic settled any hard feelings from last
year's playoffs when the Clippers forward accidentally stepped on
the back of Doncic's heel.
Doncic already had a sprained ankle during the series, when
Morris was guarding him most of the time.
Morris said he apologized before a game earlier this season and
Doncic accepted.
“There’s definitely a mutual respect between us as players,"
Morris said. “I told him before the game, I’m not into making no
dirty plays and trying to hurt nobody. I’m a competitor first; I
love taking on the matchup."
In turn, Doncic praised Morris as “a hell of a player, hell of a
defender."
GROWING CROWD
The Mavericks said Friday they plan to be near capacity for
Games 3 and 4 in Dallas. That likely means at least 15,000 fans.
The club also said it would host vaccination drives during both
games. Game 6, if necessary, also will be in Dallas.
Before the pandemic, a sellout for the Mavericks was about
20,000. But almost all the seats near the court are gone, at least
for now. Dallas hosted fans for the first time in its 11th game,
starting with about 1,000 essential workers and season-ticket
holders who attended for free. The announced crowd for the final
home game of the regular season was 4,493.
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AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas contributed to this
report.
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