PHILADELPHIA – Surely Paul George is fired up to face the 76ers squad that traded him and draft picks to the Boston Celtics for Jaylen Brown, right?

That’s not what the forward said at Tuesday morning’s shootaround, hours before that night’s matchup against the Sixers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“Yeah, no, it’s a regular game,” he said of tonight’s matchup at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Regular game. That’s how I’m treating it. Obviously, it’ll be fun to play against those guys and compete against them. But it’s a regular game for me.”

Regular game?

One would think that George would be motivated to show the Sixers (9-2) he’s a much better player than his tenure in Philly suggested.

The idea was that he would be the perfect fit alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. That’s why the Sixers signed him to a four-year, $211.5 million contract on July 6, 2024.

However, his tenure was marred by underachievement, injuries, and a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.

All that led some to see George as a championship-caliber piece for a washed-up player with one of the NBA’s worst contracts.

Yet he’s been a perfect fit for the Celtics (8-2), averaging 20.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and an NBA third-best 2.3 steals. The 36-year-old swingman is also shooting 42.5% on three-pointers while enjoying his role as Jayson Tatum’s co-star.

So why is this just a regular game? Doesn’t the 6-foot-8, 230-pounder want to show the Sixers and their fan base that he’s still a difference-maker?

“Yeah, had I been here eight, nine, 10 years, different story,” he said. “I was here two years. Obviously, we didn’t have the best of luck or had a great, I think, partnership in terms of my ability to stay healthy and on the floor. So that kind of played into a lot of it. But obviously, it’s a tremendous fan base, a great sports town to play in. So that was appreciated.

“But there’s no ill will for me. It’ll be fun to just compete, and outside of that, it’s a normal game.”