保羅·喬治和拉塞爾·威斯布魯克也許已經走了兩條路，但是喬治立刻認為他的前隊友和詹姆斯·哈登差不多。
喬治與俄克拉荷馬城雷霆隊（Oklahoma City Thunder）進行交易以回家並效力於洛杉磯快船隊後不久，全明星隊觀看了威斯布魯克與休斯頓火箭隊的比賽，並與他的朋友哈登聯手。
自從兩個人一起離開俄克拉荷馬州兩個賽季以來，喬治首次與威斯布魯克對戰時，喬治表示，他對威斯布魯克將如何與哈登合作毫無疑問。
“我知道這將會奏效，”喬治在快船週五週五面對火箭之前的早晨槍戰中說道。 “拉斯是贏家。拉斯想贏，拉斯竭盡所能。我和他在一起的時候，羅斯沒有自我意識。他把自我放在一邊。
“他讓我做我自己，他讓我感到舒服。而且我和他一起玩時（幾年）是我最好的職業之一。Russ是heckuva的隊友。”
喬治與韋斯特布魯克一起在上賽季的MVP投票中獲得第三名，場均得到28分和8.2個籃板的職業生涯新高，場均貢獻4.1次助攻。
不過，雷霆隊在季後賽首輪連續第三個賽季輸了球，喬治的肩膀生病了，而且都在休賽期需要手術。 當卡懷·倫納德（Kawhi Leonard）在7月初與喬治（George）接觸以招募他加入軍隊時，喬治說，他與威斯布魯克（Westbrook）談了談自己的感受，以及想回到洛杉磯的想法。
喬治在十月份的快船訓練營中告訴ESPN：“我確保那是我做的第一件事，就是和拉斯交談，弄清他的體溫，看看他在找什麼，看看他在做什麼。” “與（威斯布魯克）的關係從未停止。這種關係從來都不是我離開的原因的一部分。我和拉斯相處融洽。我很享受（從中）。與拉斯一起玩耍中學到了很多東西。他使我變得更好。玩家和人。”
喬治從手術中恢復了右肩部分撕裂的肌腱和左唇的部分撕裂的修復後，平均得到28.3分，6.3個籃板和4.8次助攻。
威斯布魯克本賽季場均貢獻21.8分，7.9個籃板和6.9次助攻。
“與他的關係很好，”喬治在十月份對韋斯特布魯克的友誼中說道。 “到我職業生涯的最後階段，這才是我最終想要運用的東西。這就是我的看法。”
星期五將是喬治在快船隊的第五場比賽，但預計將是他與倫納德的第二場比賽。統治總決賽的MVP星期三因左膝挫傷受傷而退賽，他因傷缺席了三場比賽。
喬治說他希望這是他職業生涯的最後一站。
“這次旅行真是福氣，”棕櫚谷本地人說。 “沒有多少人會說他們回國了，老實說，我希望這是我能夠在洛杉磯完成比賽的旅程的終點。
“希望這是一本很棒的章節，這本書的最後一部分。我期待著在這裡做大事。”
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Paul George and Russell Westbrook might've gone their separate ways, but George immediately thought his former teammate would fit in just fine with James Harden.
Not long after George worked a trade out with the Oklahoma City Thunder to go home and play for the LA Clippers, the All-Star watched Westbrook land with the Houston Rockets to join forces with his friend Harden.
As George plays against Westbrook for the first time since both departed OKC after two seasons together, George says he never had any doubts about how Westbrook would work with Harden.
"I knew it was going to work," George said at the morning shootaround before the Clippers face the Rockets on Friday night. "Russ is a winner. Russ wants to win, Russ does whatever it takes to win. My time playing with him, Russ doesn't really have an ego. He puts his ego to the side.
"He allowed me to be myself, he allowed me to be comfortable. And I had one of the best career [years] I had while playing alongside him. Russ is a heckuva teammate."
Playing alongside Westbrook, George finished third in MVP voting last season, averaging career-highs of 28 points and 8.2 rebounds to go with a career-high-tying 4.1 assists per game.
The Thunder, though, lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season, with George's shoulders ailing and both requiring surgery in the offseason. When Kawhi Leonard approached George in early July to recruit him to join forces, George said he spoke to Westbrook to gauge his feelings and about wanting to return home to L.A.
"I made sure that was the first thing that I did was talk to Russ and get his temperature and see what he was looking [for] and see where he was at with things," George told ESPN in October during Clippers training camp. "The relationship [with Westbrook] never stopped. The relationship never was a part of the reason why I left. Me and Russ got along great. I enjoyed [it]. I learned so much from playing alongside Russ. He made me a better player and person."
In his return from surgeries to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder and a partial tear of his left labrum, George is averaging 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Westbrook is averaging 21.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season.
"The relationship with him was great," George said in October of his friendship with Westbrook. "It just came down to that point in my career where this is ultimately where I want to ride this thing out at. And that's how I looked at it."
Friday will be George's fifth game with the Clippers but it's expected to be just his second playing alongside Leonard. The reigning Finals MVP returned on Wednesday from a left knee contusion injury that sidelined him for three games.
George is saying he hopes this is the last stop of his NBA career.
"This journey has been a blessing," the Palmdale native said. "Not a lot of people get to say they played back home, and honestly I'm hoping that this is the closing of my journey to be able to finish here in L.A.
"It's a great chapter, great last part of my book, hopefully. And I'm looking forward to doing big things here."
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關鍵字: 拉塞爾·威斯布魯克 捍衛我的中國賽主場 詹姆斯·哈登
