PG: Clippers would 'be going on' if Kawhi was healthy
Reflecting on the Los Angeles Clippers' historically deep but still dissatisfying West finals exit, Paul George couldn't help but wonder what might've been had his star teammate, Kawhi Leonard, not been injured.
"We'd be going on," George said after Wednesday's 130-103 loss to the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "This series would be a lot different. Talk about one of the best players in the league being out, yet we were inches away from getting to the next round.
"So, definitely it's a 'what-if' on this. Fact of the matter is, we didn't do enough to win, and that's the reason we're going home."
Leonard, a two-time champion and NBA Finals MVP, has been out with a knee sprain since Game 5 of L.A.'s Western Conference semifinals series versus the Utah Jazz. It was reported in mid-June that those around the Clippers organization feared Leonard had suffered an ACL injury.
Even without Leonard, George - a six-time All-NBA selection - was impressive. He led the Clippers to a pair of wins, including a 14-point road victory in Game 5. In just over 41 minutes, the 31-year-old wing put up 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest in the series.
"Nothing that I didn't know already," George said. "The narrative of me not being a postseason player, or all that, I never understood it."