Paul George Says He 'Buried' Clippers' Playoff Loss to Nuggets 'In the Bubble'

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George isn't dwelling on the team's playoff exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets last season.

Following a 121-108 win over the Nuggets on Christmas Day, George told reporters he "buried" the postseason disappointment at the NBA's Walt Disney World Resort bubble in Orlando, Florida.

"I kind of buried last [season], left last [season] in the bubble," he said, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "That did nothing. Fact is, this is a new season. A new team. New goals. New everything."

George added that the Clippers "are a ways away" after winning their first two games to start 2020-21.

"But I think you guys can see that we are getting better and we are a different team than last year," he said.

Los Angeles shouldn't pretend like last year didn't happen, since the nature of the team's downfall exposed issues that had lingered well before the NBA's restart. Addressing those underlying problems is what the Clippers need to do to move forward.

To George's point, though, there's no sense in allowing the 2020 postseason to hang over everything the franchise does. A new season—with a new head coach in charge, no less—allows everybody to start fresh.

Beating the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night before notching a double-digit victory over Denver is an ideal start for the Clippers.

Of course, the Clippers created a situation for themselves where no amount of success in the regular season will be enough without an accompanying run in the playoffs. That's the bar a franchise sets for itself when it adds George and Kawhi Leonard after finishing eighth in the Western Conference.

Failing to reach the 2021 NBA Finals will be considered falling short of expectations.