LOS ANGELES – Paul George was motivated and fueled by “all the noise” that surrounded him throughout the season, and winning a place in the stars is another “milestone” in his recovery season, he said.
The LA Clippers guard was named one of the All-Star reserves selected at the Western Conference on Tuesday, joining teammate Kawhi Leonard, who had previously been named as a starter in the Western Conference pool.
“With all the noise, everything that is going on, you find motivation through it,” said George of all the criticisms he has heard since the Clippers collapse in the second round in the postseason. “You dig deep and are surprised by what comes out of it. Honestly, it was just using everything as motivation, fueling all of this this year.
“[All-Star] it’s a good milestone, the beginning of how my season is going. But definitely [not] where I want it to end. So I have a lot more work to do. “
George, who made his first five three-point shots before finishing with 30 points in the Clippers’ 135-116 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, will make his seventh All-Star appearance.
George, however, joined a chorus of NBA stars who expressed concern about an All-Star game that will be held this year in the middle of a pandemic.
“I’m just not a fan of it with everything that’s going on,” said George. “I think it’s just smart [to not hold one]. … I think we have an incredible league; I am not discrediting that. But I don’t think that – just in the middle of a pandemic – is something that needs to be achieved. “
George also said he was fined this season for a precautionary measure in the health and safety protocol.
“Especially, [for] Personal reasons, I was fined for spending time with a teammate, or for having a teammate, and yet we are having this All-Star Game, “explained George.” So again, I have personal reasons to disagree with the game [being held]. “
George said he did not want to go into details about the fine, but said he will play the All-Star Game on March 7 in Atlanta.
George entered Tuesday night with an average of 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists to go with a shot rate of 51.1%, the highest in his career, including 47.1% behind of the 3-point arc.
The point guard was not an All-Star last season, after he didn’t play in the first 11 games of the Clippers, when he was put back into action after shoulder surgery out of season. In the last postseason, George suffered a crash in the first round of the playoffs, before reaching 4 of 16 on the field and scoring 10 points in a game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets, while the Clippers lost the 3-1 advantage in the series the second round.
George said he heard more “chirps” this season from opponents “living in the past”. He was motivated to prove that his skeptics were wrong.
“He was always an All-Star, you know, in my eyes,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “He is one of the best two-way players in our league; you have known for some time.”
“He deserves it. And the kind of year he’s having, you know, this year, just shows the hard work he’s done over the summer to get back to this point.”