But why don't we look at why?

Why are we looking at Paul?

George?

Paul George missed about 24 games last year.

Kawhi Leonard missed about 15, if I remember correctly, um, the cohesiveness that they needed to establish wasn't quite there.

Paul George was has it as an excuse, though.

He was coming off an injury Kawhi Leonard, it was all about load management.

He practiced when he wanted to.

He played when he wanted to.

He came out of the games when he wanted to.

He had a complete support of management and ownership.

And more importantly than that, you know when you're that, you know when you're that superstar two time champion, a two time NBA Finals M v p.

Particularly when you make the demands that he's made private jets and everything else in between being a prima donna that he came across as being, at least according toa numerous sources in the league.

The bottom line is that you gotta be the one to be able to step up no matter what struggles Paul George had.

And I'm not here to deny that those struggles existed because he's either average lesson points in the postseason.

Regular season, less from the field, less from three point range.

All of those things are true.

Absolutely, positively so.

And I'll get into Paul George and a little bit in terms of what he had to say about Doc Rivers.

But I will tell you this.

That didn't stop the Clippers from being up 31 Now on many, many occasions myself, you and everybody else included when LeBron got swept.

What do we say?

You can get one game you have.

You have you have you have my man imitating me on It's good.

Lulu Lulu One game one game Because when one game Excuse me, that's what we were looking for from LeBron.

How could we can't looking for that from Kawhi Leonard.

You have 31 Paul George.

No matter what happened with the Clippers, no matter what his struggles were, it didn't stop you from getting past the first round.

It didn't stop you from going up 31 in the second round.

So how come I can't look at my three?

My two times champion, who is a two time NBA Finals MVP who's got all of these requirements and all of these demands for his services.

The Clippers didn't want to give up all those damn picks for Paul George, but Kawai said either you get him or I'm not coming.

So if all of that being the case, how come I can't rely on Uncle?

Why?

To get me one Game one So you could get to the to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

He couldn't do that.

That's what I'm looking at.

So I don't wanna hear about Paul.

George, I'm not saying that your breakdown I'm not saying your basketball breakdown was wrong because I'm not challenging that Paul George did and did not do what what happened.

And that's a fact.

All I'm saying is at the end, who caused all of that toe happened?

The guy that wanted it all and you couldn't give me one game.

What's up with you?

Wanna argue?

If you wanna argue that Kawai showed up small in Game seven in the second half of a Game seven that they needed to win second right, and I am not I'm not saying I'm not absolving.

I'm not absolving Kawai Well, because, especially in the second half of a game, 7 2016, Kawai is gonna turn it on.

I get it, but especially late in the game.

I'm expecting him to turn it on.

It's normally what he does.

He didn't I'm not absolving him of blame, right?

It's his job to try to carry the team.

But Stephen A, let's be honest, like co wise regular season numbers.

They went up in the postseason.

He got.

He was better in the postseason.

It wasn't a regular season, was very good in the regular season, was great in the regular season.

Even better in the playoffs.

If Paul George would have played it Kawhi Leonard level, they would have been in the second round if Paul George played a normal regular season, Paul George levels, they would have been a really challenge for the Lakers in the conference finals.

He didn't so to say coup I needed to compensate is a fair point.

But it's Paul George who went away.

He went away not just for one game, not just for a game they needed, not uncharacteristically in the second half.

In the fourth quarter of a game seven.

I don't I don't give quiet pass on that.

And I didn't on this show.

But that's very different from just being an a regular player in the playoffs.

That's why co I should regret it.

Stephen A.

You mentioned all the favoritism shown by Kawai.

What's the reporting?

And you would know this better than I dio.

What's the reporting that the that the team resented it about?

Oh, I know.

Not that the team resented it about why they resented it about Paul George.

Because they know an MVP caliber player when they see one they seek.

Why they go.

We get it, they see Paul.

George, they go, Uh, not him.

He don't shouldn't get that same treatment.

And Paul George deserves that based on his play in the playoffs.

Time out.

Time out!

Time out.

Do you respect Steve?

Bomber?

Yeah.

Do you respect?

Um uh, Lawrence Frank?

Yep.

Do you respect Doc Rivers?

Who was the head coach at the time?

I do.

I respect the hell out of those guys.

I respect them, and I like them.

And I respect the hell out of Clippers organization, and we certainly have to respect the Intelligence Max Kellerman.

Do they give up Shay Gill, Just Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a slew of draft picks, including five first round picks in the future?

What team on earth do you know would give up all of that unless Kawai insisted you do this or else they would not Let me tell you something if Kawhi Leonard, if Kawai let out.

Listen, if Kawhi Leonard had said, I'm if you don't do this, I'm staying in Toronto.

Clippers wouldn't have done it.

They did it because he threatened.

He would go to the Lakers.

He threatened he would go to the Lakers, so understand what he did.

He had them mortgage their damn future just to get Paul George.

Now you have pointed out how Paul the numbers, even though he averaged 28 in the playoffs the previous season.

Not this past postseason, but the previous postseason.

You knew I knew that Paul George was a little less than himself in the postseason than he was in the regular season and still co wide.

Leonard sat up there and force the Clippers to make that move, so I put more the onus on him than anybody did anybody okay?

Okay.

Wait, Stephen A About that, we agree.

But he didn't force him to make the move.

They chose.

They looked at it and they said, Slew five first round picks.

Whatever it is Shakil just Alexander and Danilo Gallinari.

We can't just look at it that were trading it for Paul.

George, we have to look at it.

Were trading for CO y and Paul George because otherwise hold on you from that point of view they you worked out here, Max, You They were the Clippers.

They didn't have a choice once he was threatening to go to the Lakers.

You know that?

Well, yeah, they could Dio, listen, they still chose to do it.

But my point is, the question is, should co I have regrets about team with PG 13 coup?

I could have said Could have picked someone else.

He could have said Chris, Paul or someone else, right?

He chose Paul George, and he could have made them make that trade.

He chose Paul George and he should regret it.

Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.