NBA History: 5 greatest Paul George performances of all time

Paul George is one of the best two-way players in the league at the moment and was selected as the tenth overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. He entered the league as a shooting guard but was later moved to the small forward position.

George is regarded by many as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He is known for his ability to perform well on both ends of the court. He is a six-time NBA All-Star who won NBA most improved player award in 2013 and was the leader in steals last year.

Paul George recently joined the Los Angeles Clippers along with 2019 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

Let us take a look at some of the best performances of PG-13 during his time in the NBA (with Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder).

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.)

#5 Pacers Vs Hawks: April 21, 2013

The Pacers were pitted against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs. In Game one of the series, it was time for George to step up and he did it in style. He recorded his first career playoff triple-double, scoring 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Paul became the first Indiana player since Mark Jackson to get a postseason triple-double.

Paul started the game with ease, scoring only 7 points in the first quarter, but was strong on the defensive end. Throughout the game, he made 17 free-throws out of 18 but wasn't able to get a single three-pointer.

George stayed on court for 44 minutes and made 10 defensive rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block, showing his defensive abilities. He contributed to the offense, grabbing 12 assists. The Pacers won the game 107-90 and later went on to win the series 4-2 with some incredible performance by Paul George.

#4 Thunder Vs Clippers: November 11, 2017

George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 16, 2017, in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. During the regular season the team did not start well. Before this game, Thunder were on a four game losing streak.

Paul George turned up heat, scoring 21 points by halftime with OKC leading by 63-55. With some help from Star teammate Russell Westbrook, the team took a huge lead in the third and fourth quarter and won the game by 120-111.

Paul George played 42 minutes, scored 42 points, made 13 of 22 shots (also made12 of 15 from the free throw line), nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Westbrook contributed 22 points with eight assists.

In the post game interview, George said, "I was just trying to stay in attack mode, if play's opened up and there was opportunities to find guys, I was trying to, but it just seems that a lot of the plays just ended up me one on one with a big at the rim."

#3 Pacers Vs Cavaliers: April 21, 2017

Cleveland Cavaliers v Indiana Pacers - Game Three

The Indiana Pacers were facing LeBron James and the mighty Cavaliers in the third game of the first round Playoffs series. Pacers lost the first two games and were looking to get a victory over the Cavs.

Indiana took a huge 25 point lead and were up 74-49 by halftime but couldn't hold the lead as the Cavs tied up the score in the last quarter. The game ended up in favour of Cleveland 119-114. George tried his best and did everything to win the game but his attempt proved unsuccessful. Pacers went down 3–0 in the series.

Paul scored 36 points, grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds (in playoffs) and gave nine assists, one short of his second postseason triple-double. It was one of his best performance ever for the Pacers in the Playoffs. He was frustrated after the game and said, "I should have stepped in and demanded the ball a little bit more."

#2 Thunder Vs Utah Jazz: December 23, 2018

On December 23, 2018 OKC faced the Utah Jazz in a regular season fixture. In the last season's playoffs (first round), Jazz eliminated Thunder. George wasn't fully healthy and struggled against them. He was ready this time and wanted to prove his worth for the team.

In the game, George played 40 minutes, scored 43 points, made 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and one block. PG-13 was dominant on both ends of the court. He made 5 three-pointers (was 50% from the 3PT line) and 15 of 25 field goals (60% FG).

Oklahoma took a huge lead in the third quarter but Jazz fought back for victory in the fourth. The game ended in favour of OKC with 107-106. "I knew I had to take over. I looked to be aggressive, attack and make plays," George said after the game.

#1 Thunder Vs Trail Blazers: February 12, 2019

Oklahoma City Thunder v Portland Trail Blazers

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers faced off against each other on February 11, 2019, in front of a sell out crowd of 18000. George turned on MVP mode and recorded his third career triple-double with 47 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

George kept working on his beyond the arc shots every year and improved. He scored 8 three-pointers from 13 attempts in this game.

Thunder lead the score 68-49 at the half time. Trail Blazers reduced the lead to 87-82 by the end of the third quarter. Incredible performance from Paul George and Westbrook saw Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 120-111.

Portland forward Evan Turner described Paul's performance as one of the best, he stated, "Everybody I probably went up against—and no disrespect to other teams, they’re unbelievable—Paul is the best that we probably went up against all year. He’s at a completely different level. It’s hard to even explain."