NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: CLIPPERS VS. SUNS

June 20, 2021

Paul George

LA Clippers

Game 1: Postgame

Phoenix Suns 120, Los Angeles Clippers 114

Q. This team has been sort of forced to adjust and adapt as everything has sort of happened. What were your big takeaways from today, and where do you think the biggest adaptations need to come from?

PAUL GEORGE: You know, it's just we've got to find a way to adjust. This is a different caliber team than the other two teams we faced. A little bit more guard play. And so we just have to figure out how to counter, which we will. We'll figure out another game plan. As much as we wanted this one, I think this was a good feel-out game to see adjustments. We've been great adjusting, and you know, we've been great at playing better as the series goes on.

Q. Is sort of the fundamental challenge to figure out how to keep tabs on a guy like Ayton? Is that the challenge?

PAUL GEORGE: Yeah, that's going to be the challenge. You know, like I said, it's different, Ayton is a little bit more agile, a little bit more presence down low. Better finisher than the bigs we faced. So it's going to be a challenge. That's definitely what we've got to work on.

Q. You mentioned Ayton as a more agile and better finisher, and Devin had a great game. What is the difference you see compared to him and Donovan Mitchell?

PAUL GEORGE: Well, one hangs around the three-point line and does his damage out there and the other does his damage in the mid-range.

Q. Knowing this team the way you do, and how you guys, players, really focus on trying to make adjustments all the time, what do you expect from this team with how you're going to turn around Game 2, especially after seeing Booker have a 40-point triple-double?

PAUL GEORGE: I expect us to get better as the series goes. We've been great at it. It's nothing to kind of panic over right now. You know, we were down Kawhi. We're playing with a banged-up Marcus. Yeah, they don't have Chris Paul either, but it's a game of adjustments. We'll figure out what we need to do better.

But good thing about it, we expect a long series, and all they did was win one game.

Q. Losing Marcus, even in the first stretch, that's a big deal for your defensive rotation, right?

PAUL GEORGE: Absolutely. He's a big-time contributor for us on both ends. Not having him fully 100, that's a big player for us. And so you know, it was an early game. This was a quick swing-around coming from a tough Game 6 to come into this one.

No excuses. We have to be better, obviously. But we'll expect to make the adjustments we need for Game 2.

Q. Obviously this is a tough turnaround and all that, but Reggie was really hard on himself about his five turnovers. Speaks to Reggie and how he holds himself to account. How much of that is the fatigue and kind of being drained?

PAUL GEORGE: A lot of it. You know, Reggie has been huge for us. He can't really get down on himself. He's carried us and he's pulled us out of holes. He's made plays on top of plays which is a big reason why we are in the position we are.

Not every game is going to be perfect. Our job is to pick him up with him feeling down. Our job is to pick him up. We need Reg. I thought he still played great tonight. We all have turnovers. We all have bad stretches. When I have bad stretches, my guys are there for me and keep me going. We'll do the same thing for Reggie, tell him to move on and tell him to make the same plays he made tonight in Game 2.