George hearing more 'chirping' from players after bubble struggles

Paul George says other players have ratcheted up their trash talk following his struggles inside the bubble last season.

The Los Angeles Clippers star jawed with Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker in the fourth quarter Sunday after he was crashed into by Cameron Payne. George and Booker were quickly separated by teammates, but not before they picked up double technicals.

In an earlier incident, George also shared words with Chris Paul after a charge call. He indicates the confrontations with Booker and Paul were sparked by criticism of his play late in 2019-20.

"I was talking to the ref, CP jumped in and it escalated from there," George said, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "Like I said, I've never had any words talking, there was never any altercation, there was always peace when I am on the floor, but for whatever reason, there's a lot of chirping and people just living in the past.

"Last year was last year. I'm in a new situation; I am in a different mindset. Any of that hate stuff, you got to ask them. I don't know where that's coming from."

George got off to a hot start after the Orlando restart last season, averaging 25.5 points and shooting 50% from three during the seeding games. However, his production faltered during the playoffs, dropping to 20.2 points and 33.3% 3-point shooting.

His postseason was capped by a miserable Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets, in which he scored just 10 points and shot 2-for-11 from three, including one late attempt that clanked off the side of the backboard. His performance was amplified by the Clippers' collapse as a whole, which allowed Denver to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.

"I had a tough year last year," George told Fox Sports immediately following Sunday's 112-107 win. "People think it's sweet, man. I didn't hear none of this in my 10 years in the league. But last year, people living on that last year. I gotta answer to that. ... I'm ready to compete. I'm back."