Paul George and LeBron James have had some epic playoff battles over the years, but Indiana hasn’t been the Eastern powerhouse it once was the past couple of seasons. A big part of that was George’s catastrophic leg injury. He exorcised those demons this summer at the Rio Olympics, and now that he’s fully recovered, the Pacers forward is eager to lead his team back into contention.
As usual, however, the path to the Finals goes through LeBron and company, and while George and his team have never gotten past the Cavs or Heat, he’s still confident that the Pacers have what it takes to stage an Eastern Conference coup, which will require, among other things, him getting the better of LeBon in their head-to-head match-up. Via Michael Lee of The Vertical:
“I’ve always matched up with him like, ‘I know he can do this, I know he can do that,’ ” George told The Vertical about James. “Not in an awe fashion, but it’s more so, ‘I’m not supposed to win these games. This is supposed to be the best dude in the NBA. I’m trying to challenge him. I know what I’m up against.’ Now it’s, ‘I’m ready. I’m ready for you. I’m a veteran. I know you, you know me. Let’s meet here, let’s get this job done.’ I’m prepared. I’ve had time to figure this out. I’ve had time to lick my wounds. I’m ready.”
To be certain, the Pacers a wild-card team in the East. They made some notable upgrades to their roster in the offseason, including Jeff Teague, Al Jefferson, and Thaddeus Young, and they have a rising star in Myles Turner, who looks increasingly like the prototypical stretch-four the league is salivating for today.
Their depth beyond that, however, is a giant question mark. They’ll need George playing at that same elite level from last season, as well as a few other chips to fall their way, if they want to establish themselves as a legitimate threat to the Cavs’ supremacy.
