Playoff P Continues First-Round Success as Paul George and 76ers Roll into Game Seven Against Celtics
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It may not be the best version of Paul George, but the version of Playoff P that the 76ers have been given this postseason has been a huge boost and a huge reason why the team is fighting in a seventh game Satuday evening.
Do you remember the last time the 76ers were in the playoffs? I sure do. It was against the New York Knicks in a heated battle between two of the NBA’s biggest rivals, where the 76ers were defeated by the Knicks in six games.
It was a tough series to lose as Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid were doing their best to try and get the 76ers out of the first round, especially Embiid, who had just returned a couple of weeks prior from a meniscus injury, and come to find out in that series that he was also playing with Bell’s Palsy.
While Maxey and Embiid showed up despite their situations, the “third star” for the 76ers did not show up in that series against the Knicks and put together maybe the worst performance in the elimination game of that series. I am referring, of course, to Tobias Harris.
Harris, as you may know, was the former third option for the 76ers for the first half of the 2020s, and honestly, calling him a third option is a bit of a stretch. The 76ers signed Harris to a five-year, $180 million contract over Jimmy Butler back in the summer of 2019 in what turned out to be one of the worst contracts in not only the 76ers’ team history, but in the history of the NBA.
Harris was never a bad player per se, as he averaged 17.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists during his five and a half seasons in Philadelphia, but when it came time for Harris to provide, especially in the playoffs, he went radio silent, being a literal traffic cone on the court in games.
The final game as a 76er for Harris was the icing on the cake, as it came in that Knicks series. Harris dropped a whopping zero points, four rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes, shooting just two shots all game. In an elimination name game where he played nearly 30 minutes, making $36 million for the season, he shot only two shots and scored not a single point, while
Safe to say, it was easy for the 76ers to let Harris walk in free agency that summer, and they brought in former Los Angeles Clippers Paul George to replace Harris, forming an actual big three with Maxey and Embiid.
Now George’s time in Philadelphia hasn’t been off to the best start as injuries, old age signs, and a PED suspension have cost the former nine-time All-Star a lot of playing and, more importantly, consistent playing time during his first two seasons.
Many have compared him to Harris, a third option scorer who is stealing millions of dollars from us, and before the last month and a half, I would’ve agreed with those people. However, George seemed to have turned a corner since his return from suspension, averaging 19.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.
This playoff series against the Celtics has been incredibly impressive, as throughout the six games, George has been the face of consistency for Philadelphia, providing nothing but similar performances night in and night out. George has scored 16 points or more in each game, while also shooting efficiently as well, with his lowest field percentage in a game being 46.2%.
When compared to Harris’ last playoff series for the 76ers, it’s night and day who has been the more impactful teammate for this team. George’s offensive numbers have been perfect when you factor in the amount of scoring and shots that Embiid and Maxey take on a nightly basis.
76ers coach Nick Nurse spoke about George’s offensive success following and how he continues to provide the team with key buckets throughout the series that have helped the 76ers stay in these games.
“Every game at the offensive end, I just feel like he feels like he can score out there,” Nurse said. “Those are kind of big scoreboard-moving buckets, to kind of settle things down, and he makes a few of those a game.”
While the scoring has been great, I feel the true key thing from George in this series has been his increase in outstanding defense over the last two games, especially. Throughout the games, George has primarily guarded either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and while both players are still scoring, George isn’t making their nights a walk in the park.
He’s getting them to commit offensive fouls, he’s forcing turnovers, clamping them and running out the shot clock, doing whatever he has to do to make the J’s night a living hell. Nurse was enthusiastic following Game 6 when talking about George’s defense, speaking about how it’s improved throughout the six games, but also speaking out about why his defense is so crucial to this series.
“He was great. I thought been saying that the whole series. He’s been just excellent on defense,” Nurse said. “The entire game, those two guys (Tatum and Brown) are great wings, and he’s got to battle them every possession. He is battling me, and they’re scoring, but he’s making them really work for it. I just feel like he’s getting more confident.”
George is never going to be the 25+ points per game player that he once was in this league, and I’d be willing to bet he never averages 20 points or more in a season if his role continues to be like this on the 76ers. However, I think that’s a great thing, as George has been able to excel in other roles while also providing enough offense to aid Maxey and Embiid’s high numbers.
Between his defense, his clutch and consistent buckets, and his overall want and will to help the team win, George is earning his stripes as a 76er. Is he ever going to be worth the $53 million a year we’re paying him? No, almost nobody is worth that. However, George remains an upgrade over the previous overpaid forward the 76ers had on their team, and George has the upside of being a one-day hall of fame player.
With a decisive Game 7 on the horizon for the 76ers, the team needs the best out of all its players, especially George, who has been the key facilitator for this team throughout the series. Philadelphia is attempting to be the 14th team to come back from a 3-1 game deficit in the playoffs and win its first Game 7 against Boston since 1982.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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