George: Lack of adjustments led to 3-1 collapse vs. Nuggets
Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George offered his explanation for the club's 3-1 second-round playoff series collapse to the Denver Nuggets.
The All-Star forward said the Clippers relied too much on their talent and didn't properly prepare for their opponent.
"During that whole process, we never worked on adjustments. We never worked on what to do differently," George said Wednesday on Showtime's "All The Smoke" podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. "We're just literally having the same shit happen over and over again. It started to play a trick on you like, 'Man, what's going on?' We're talking amongst each other, the conversation is like, 'We're going to be all right,' the conversation should've been like, 'Nah, we need to change.'"
Former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers was reportedly at odds with the front office for continuing to play the struggling Montrezl Harrell over the defensive-minded Ivica Zubac throughout the postseason.
George was also critical of his former bench boss, saying Rivers used him incorrectly last season.
"Doc was trying to play me as a Ray Allen or a JJ Redick. All pin-downs," George said. "I can do it, but that ain't my game. I need some flow. I need some mixes of pick-and-rolls. I need some post-ups. Just different touches. ... That last season was just hard overall."
George averaged 21.5 points, 5.7 boards, 3.9 assists, and 1.4 steals during his first season in Los Angeles. The Clippers are still seeking their first conference finals appearance in franchise history.