After Shutting Down Kyrie Irving’s Father, Paul George Breaks Silence on Viral Celebration in Game 4 vs Mavs

When you face each other three times in the past five seasons, sparks are expected to fly. Something similar happened during the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks first-round playoff series. During Game 3, Russell Westbrook and P.J. Washington were ejected after the former’s hard foul on Luka Doncic. And Washington, in a moment of defiance, struck a pose, crossing his arms and staring down the Clippers’ bench. Of course, Paul George returned the favor in the next game.

With the Mavs leading the series 2-1, George was a man on a mission to tie the first-round playoff series. He put together a masterful first half, scoring 26 of his 33 points before the break, including five 3s. However, it was after his fifth three-pointer that things got interesting. George seemed to take a page out of Washington’s playbook, striking a pose similar to Washington’s mean mug from the last game.

In the recent episode of his Podcast P with Paul George, the Clippers forward/guard revealed that he did not intend to mock Washington. “Something had happened; maybe it was like a loose ball or a small scuffle, something that happened, and those fans stood up and they started doing, you know, the little mug sh-t, and so it was after I made that three. It was literally in the same spot where those fans are sitting courtside and so I looked over it and looked at them and that was directed towards them. I got nothing to do with P.J.,” clarified George.

Not just that, he also shed light on his interaction with Kyrie’s dad, who was sitting courtside.

Paul George’s corner three leaves Kyrie Irving’s dad in awe

Paul George’s red-hot first half led the Clippers to a 23-point lead after the first quarter and a 31-point lead shortly after. However, the Mavericks rallied back, taking a 105-104 lead with two minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the contest, which George erased 20 seconds later with a corner three that even left Kyrie Irving’s dad stunned.

“It’s funny that after hitting that corner three, the person I was talking to was actually Kyrie’s dad sitting in that corner. After I made that three, Kyrie’s dad looks at me and he’s like [reaction] so I’m like, ‘Yeah Pops, I got that too,'” recalled George.

The fallaway corner three put the Clippers back up by 2 points, and they never looked back as they tied the series 2-2 with a much-needed 116-111 win. The two teams will head back to LA now for Game 5 on Wednesday, May 1 at 10 p.m. ET.

Which team do you think will take the lead this time? Let us know in the comments!