Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George offered a candid take following a 108-94 loss to the New York Knicks on Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dropping the series to 3-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
George, who posted 15 points on 6-of-18 shooting, did not shy away from the emotional impact of the moment when speaking to reporters. “It happens. It happens. I’ve been multiple places in my career where an instance like this happens. And all of these are in the radius of one another.”
He also noted the strong presence of Knicks fans in the arena. “There’s a long line of history of Knicks. And so, New York, I guess in this moment, they’re prideful, standing and supporting their guys. Yeah, you can’t stop Knicks fans from buying tickets. So it is what it is.”
Looking ahead to Game 4 on Sunday, George emphasized execution and shot selection. “I mean, we’re playing well. I think we just got to generate some good looks, generate better shots. Hopefully that gets us in a good rhythm.”
He expanded on late-game offensive struggles. “But I think down the stretch, we got to generate better shots for each other.”
A major concern was the bench unit failing to score until the fourth quarter. George was blunt about needing contributions. “Yeah, we do need a little push. Start groups on any given night are in the forties or close to it. So we definitely need a push, someone to come in and give us that extra little hump.”
He also praised injured star Joel Embiid, who returned to score 18 points despite physical limitations. “Yeah, it means everything. We know what he’s going through. We know how tough it is on his body and the work he’s putting in to get prepared to try to come out and play. We appreciate it.”
Rebounding remained a recurring issue, which George traced back to earlier problems. “Yeah, I don’t know, man. That’s just all year it’s been a problem.”
He added context about the opponent’s approach. “They came up big with those offensive rebounds, which is a challenge.”
George also discussed defensive adjustments to slow New York’s perimeter creation. “Just try to get stops, create a little havoc on defense, some chaos, make them uncomfortable, try to steal some possessions.”
Despite the 0-3 deficit, George drew from past playoff experience. “I mean, we’re right there. We’re just not finishing the game… I think we just got to take it one game at a time.”
He concluded by noting how quickly momentum can shift. “Give them credit, they’ve been huge down the stretch on their end. But I think the adjustments we can make, limit their possessions, their extra second possessions, take one game at a time.”
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 33 points, putting New York one win away from a second straight conference finals appearance, while Philadelphia now faces elimination pressure heading into Game 4.
