PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into the offseason after being swept by the New York Knicks. The Sixers were able to pull off a historic rally in Round 1 as they rallied from down 3-1 to defeat the Boston Celtics in Round 1, but they were unable to keep things moving in the right direction against New York after such a quick turnaround.
Paul George had a bit of a roller coaster of a season. He began the season missing the first 12 games of the season after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason, then had some up and down performances, was then suspended for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy, and returned for the final 10 games of the regular season looking rejuvenated.
He then had some good moments in the playoffs before things ended with a dud against the Knicks. He scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the first quarter of Game 3, but then scored only seven points on 3-for-16 shooting over the final seven quarters of the series.
“We hung in there against Boston,” said George in the aftermath of the elimination. “I thought we pulled everything that we had out of each other. We were trending in the right direction, but ultimately, I mean, we ran into a hot New York team who, I mean, I feel like they’re getting momentum and they’re playing better and better as these games are coming and, yeah, they came out hot. They threw haymakers early, and they kept on.”
Through two seasons with the Sixers, George has played only 78 games and is averaging 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 37.5% from deep. It has been tough sledding for the 9-time All-Star in two years in Philadelphia in terms of his production, but he has been able to show an ability to still defend at a high level and provide some leadership for this group. He is enjoying his time with the team right now.
“I mean, it was great,” said George. “It was great. Great fans, the support, I think through the ups and downs, through everything we’ve been through, through my situation, they’ve been supportive. They supported me through it and to have an opportunity to play in the postseason, given everything that went on, especially last year, how much of a struggle last season was to give them a postseason this year was, I think, the positive and the highlight of it all.”
The first two years of his 4-year deal haven’t exactly been great, or what he and the organization expected, but George is focused on the positives as a member of the Sixers.
“My experience with the fans has been amazing,” he explained. “It’s definitely love here. I think for us, we got to get better, for sure. Not quite sure what those answers are right now, but in terms of my viewpoint on the city of Philadelphia and their support, man, it was awesome.”
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Paul George discusses Sixers getting swept, assesses 2 years in Philly