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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00:00The NBA suspension couldn't have come at a worse time for the LA Clippers.
00:04In the few weeks after the trade deadline, the team looked as good as it had all season
00:07long and the players know that too.
00:09LA rattled off big wins against teams like the Nuggets, 76ers, Rockets, and Thunder,
00:14sometimes by as many as 29 points from that stretch.
00:16Clippers star Paul George admits that it was frustrating to stop during that stretch of
00:20play, but ultimately he believes this break has made the team better, saying, quote,
00:24We played ourselves into that chemistry, into that zone we were in.
00:28It was really the team coming together right then.
00:29We added Reggie Jackson, we added Marcus Morris, we were starting to mold and shape and learn
00:33each other.
00:34It was tough to take this little break.
00:35But I think ultimately it's going to pay off.
00:37We were one of the teams that could have benefited off a healing process and come in together
00:41healthy.
00:42This has bricked wonders for this group and we're going to pick up where we left off
00:44that.
00:45Now that'll be easier for the Denver Clippers to do as they were playing their best basketball
00:49of the season back in March, but it is certainly possible.
00:52One big thing that could improve takes this break is the team's chemistry and continuity.
00:56The Denver Clippers have not only played a handful of games this season with a fully
00:58healthy roster, most of which came after the All-Star break, and the de facto training
01:03camp this team is involved in right now should only help players become more familiar with
01:06each other.
01:07The break also did a lot for Paul George on a personal level.
01:10Multiple shoulder surgeries last summer forced him to miss the first 11 games of the season,
01:14and up until about a month ago he was still in the rehab process.
01:17Now that George has fully recovered, Clippers fans expect him to more closely resemble the
01:20player he was for OKC in 2019 when he finished third in MVP voting and averaged a career
01:26high of 28 points per game.
01:27The Clippers will play their first game in over four months next week when they scrimmage
01:31their land of magic on July 22nd.
01:33LA will play two more scrimmage games on July 25th and 27th before taking on the Los Angeles
01:38Lakers to begin the restarted season on July 30th.