Lost in the background of the highly anticipated first matchup between Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum is a return to Philadelphia for Paul George, who spent his past two seasons as a Sixer.
Both Brown and Tatum have downplayed the narrative, as hard as it is to ignore. George, who played 89 games in a Sixers uniform, is following suit.
“It’s a regular game — that’s how I’m treating it,” he said during Boston’s morning shootaround.
George said he was unsure of the reception he’d receive in his first game
back to Xfinity Mobile Arena, a place where in his last appearance, he scored a series-best 23 points on 47% efficiency to go with vintage defense, forcing four Celtics turnovers and holding shooters matched up with him to 33% (5/15 FG). It played a part in Philly completing the 14th 3-1 series comeback in NBA history.
And yet, George’s brief stint in Philadelphia was defined by a core group that struggled to stay on the floor at the same time, and ran into the same second round demons they’ve yet to exorcise since the beginning of The Process.
“Had I been here 8, 9, 10 years it’d be a different story. I was there 2 years,” he said.
It’s an easy narrative to shrug off for George because, over his 17 seasons, he’s gone through this same thing before.
“He said he’s returned to four different teams before. There’s nothing new to him,” Payton Pritchard said.
George had his own contentious reunion when he played against the Indiana Pacers for the first time, followed by games against the Thunder and Clippers.
George isn’t the only Celtic currently on the roster to have experienced an anticipated reunion between a foundational player and the team that drafted him.
Mike Conley, a 12-year Grizzlies mainstay before the organization ended the Grit and Grind with a full scale rebuild, was showered with appreciation and given a hero’s welcome from the Memphis fanbase in his first game against them in 2019.
Their experiences couldn’t have been farther apart.
In the case of George, whose seven years in Indiana ended in a trade request, he first played the Pacers in Oklahoma City, struggling with foul trouble and playing just 19 minutes in an 18-point win. When he played in Indiana for the first time later that season, he was showered with boos from the moment his name was announced, and he shot just 3-of-14 for 12 points, though a late steal and two clutch free throws contributed to a 100-95 win.
“I’m happy this circus is over with. Everybody can move on,” George said after his return to Indiana.
The response was different in George’s next stop; he was given a tribute video and crowd ovation playing against the Thunder for the first time. Against the Clippers, a video tribute was also presented, but there was a mix of cheers and boos, a reaction he described as “stupid,” though he cited no ill will towards the franchise or his time spent in Los Angeles.
“The boos, I didn’t get it,” he said after his first game against the Clippers. “I still don’t get it when I go [back] to Indy, but it is what it is. It’s sports. I look forward to next year being back here and more boos.”
It’s hard to say the exact response when George’s name is called in the lineup introductions tonight. As the Celtics got rolling on their shootaround inside Xfinity Mobile Arena, the song “Why Can’t We Be Friends” by War blared from the speakers, a tongue and cheek choice to kick off what will be one of the most watched and debated rivalry games of the season.
Perhaps it’s a sign that tempers will be calm on Tuesday night. The game will be played, hands will be shaken, and hugs will be dispersed from competitor to competitor after an early November test between two Eastern Conference contenders.
Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
