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BOSTON — Paul George followed through extra long as his first three-pointer as a member of the Celtics swished through the net. The 36-year-old has hit nearly 3,000 threes in his NBA career, but this was his first time doing so in green.
So, he let out a sigh of relief.
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“You want to make every one you shoot right, but to see one go down, finally…” he said afterward, explaining how eager he was to see his first go down after missing his first few shots on the night.
George didn’t shoot great on the whole in the Celtics’ 144-106 preseason win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He hit 3 of 10 field goal attempts and 2 of 7 three-pointers in his Celtics debut, but he impacted the game in other ways, racking up 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists in 25 minutes.
And, he was thrilled to play in front of a sold-out TD Garden crowd that felt far more intense than your average preseason crowd.
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“It was amazing — it’s everything you feel as an opponent with that energy, that excitement, that passion, to then be on the good side of things,” George said. “It’s electric; it definitely fuels you, makes you play hard; it makes you want to win for that everyone in that arena. And, it is like a badge of honor to wear that green.”
Saturday marked the first time George shared the floor with Jayson Tatum; the two have been on opposing teams throughout training camp, so surprisingly, they haven’t gotten reps as teammates yet.
And the 36-year-old is eager to put the 28-year-old in positions to succeed.
“My job is just to make the game as easy as possible for JT,” George said. “Today was literally our first time being on the same side — all camp we’ve been competing against each other. So today was our first opportunity to learn from each other and get a feel for one another. But again, my job is try to make this as easy as possible for him.”
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George believes Tatum has MVP upside — he’s now said so in multiple interviews. So, he views himself as someone who will help unlock that.
“He’s going to be special,” George said. “He’s going to be special. He knows how to make plays. He knows how to get his own…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/paul-george-reflects-extra-nerves-104232058.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-11 10:42:00
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