LA Clippers star Paul George says the NBA hiatus was frustrating, but ultimately believes it'll pay off for his team.
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00:00 The NBA suspension couldn't have come at a worse time for the LA Clippers.
00:04 In the few weeks after the trade deadline, the team looked as good as it had all season
00:07 long and the players know that too.
00:09 LA rattled off big wins against teams like the Nuggets, 76ers, Rockets, and Thunder,
00:14 sometimes by as many as 29 points from that stretch.
00:16 Clippers star Paul George admits that it was frustrating to stop during that stretch of
00:20 play, but ultimately he believes this break has made the team better, saying, quote, "We
00:24 played ourselves into that chemistry, into that zone we were in.
00:28 It was really the team coming together right then.
00:29 We added Reggie Jackson, we added Marcus Morris.
00:32 We were starting to mold and shape and learn each other.
00:34 It was tough to take a slow break.
00:35 But I think ultimately it's going to pay off.
00:37 We were one of the teams that could have benefited off a healing process and come in together
00:41 healthy.
00:42 This break did wonders for this group, and we're going to pick up where we left off
00:44 that."
00:45 Now that would be the easiest thing for the Denver Clippers to do as they were playing
00:48 their best basketball of the season back in March, but it is certainly possible.
00:52 One big thing that could improve takes this break is the team's chemistry and continuity.
00:56 Allen only played a handful of games this season with a fully healthy roster, most of
01:00 which came after the All-Star break, and the de facto training camp his team is involved
01:03 in right now should only help players become more familiar with each other.
01:07 The break also did a lot for Paul George on a personal level.
01:10 Multiple shoulder surgeries last summer forced him to miss the first 11 games of the season,
01:13 and up until about a month ago he was still in the rehab process.
01:17 Now that George has fully recovered, Clippers fans expect him to more closely resemble the
01:20 player he was for OKC in 2019 when he finished third in MVP voting and averaged a career
01:26 high 28 points per game.
01:27 The Clippers will play their first game in over four months next week when they scrimmage
01:31 their land of magic on July 22nd.
01:33 LA will play two more scrimmage games on July 25th and 27th before taking on the Los Angeles
01:38 Lakers in the restarted season on July 30th.