Paul George Leaves Aside Feud With Damian Lillard, Admits He Was ‘Criticized for Right Reason’

The NBA has seen many personal rivalries between players over the years, with many never being resolved. One of the biggest fights in the last few years was between Damian Lillard and Paul George.

It all started with Lillard scoring a game-winner over George in the 2019 Playoffs. Refusing to give him credit, George called it a bad shot. They didn’t see eye to eye after that, and it got worse last year. After the Blazers faced the Clippers in the Orlando bubble, Lillard and George engaged in a battle over Instagram.

Although they apologized after it turned ugly, there were still some mixed emotions about their situation. But finally, after two years and a successful team-up at the 2021 All-Star game, it looks like things are much better now. The duo were on the same team tonight after LeBron James drafted them on Team LeBron.

During the post-game interview after the win, George was asked about the game moving towards deep-range shots. Surprisingly, George replied by saying, “I guess I was criticized for the right reason for calling a Dame shot in the playoffs a bad shot. I see this guy’s range it’s crazy. It’s a great shot.”

Accountability along with a classy touch from Paul George

After Lillard’s game-winner over George, the Clippers star faced a lot of unnecessary criticism. He did his best to defend but was unsuccessful. George didn’t make it any better for himself after calling it a bad shot. That made George a common target for online trolls who failed to recognize even his best efforts since then.

But George has shown that he is a lot more mature than what he is portrayed to be after tonight’s comments. He showed he is a good sport and although it took a while, he gave credit where it was due.

Lillard shows why he deserves all the praise for his range

Lillard’s game-winner in 2019 put the league on notice. They now knew that as soon as Lillard enters half-court, he is always a threat. He showed that again during tonight’s All-Star game as he and Stephen Curry rained deep threes all game.

The Blazers star put the cherry on top of the icing as he buried a half-court three-pointer to win the game for Team LeBron. Curry might be the greatest shooter of all-time, but when it comes to such deep shots, Lillard could arguably edge out Curry.