Paul George talks defending Celtics stars in Round 1 playoff series

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers have climbed all the way back from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7 with the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. They have completely neutralized Boston's offensive schemes as Joel Embiid is causing havoc in the paint while Paul George is leading the charge on the perimeter.

George is having a terrific series as he's averaging 18.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting a ridiculous 54.3% from deep. He's putting up those big offensive numbers while also having to defend Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown at a high level.

Speaking of Tatum and Brown, they're both getting their numbers in this series. Tatum is averaging 24.5 points and Brown is averaging 23.3 points, but everything has been tough. Nothing has been easy and the Sixers can live with that.

"I mean, Jayson and JB is as good as it gets," said George. "They’re gonna make tough shots. They're going to challenge me. They're going to make me look bad at moments. They're going to embarrass me in moments, but I enjoy the matchups. I enjoy the challenges. I've always been excited on the defensive end."

A 4-time All-Defensive Team member, George takes a lot of pride in his defensive work. Obviously, he has been known as one of the better and smoother scorers in the league throughout his 16 years in the league, but George has been a fantastic defender in his career.

"I tell people, I’ve just been gifted to score and be able to have a smoothness on the offensive end, but defensively, I've always appreciated that side of the ball," said George. "So, it's fun. Every minute that I'm on the floor, I mean, I want the matchup, I want to play against those guys, but it's going to come down to just being disciplined and kind of just sticking to my film that I've watched, and just seeing how they play, and what could I do to be better on a game-to-game basis?"