Pacers’ George the star of Stars
TORONTO — So many of Paul George’s All- Star teammates and opponents were on the floor 18 months ago, the night his career was put in peril by a gruesome leg injury in a scrimmage with USA Basketball.
It has been a long, difficult road back to be the star he was before a bone in his right leg popped through his skin on that August night in Las Vegas. Surrounded by so many of those elite faces again Sunday, George has never looked more like the player who has made the Indiana Pacers relevant again. Truth be told, he looked even better.
George led all players with 41 points and made nine three- pointers in the East’s 196- 173 loss to West, finishing one basket shy of breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s single- game All- Star scoring record.
“For me to be here just being back as an All- Star was special,” George said. “But to be able to put on a show and have fun and enjoy this moment, get back to playing how I play pre- injury is special.”
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook won the MVP award with 31 points in the victory, but it was George who stood out.
“I had a hard- fought summer, hard- fought rehab year,” George said. “It was just a very upward climb. It took every day and really every moment of rehab to get through it. There were a lot of days where I felt like I was down and out but just stayed with it.”
Thanks to George, the Pacers have climbed up the Eastern Conference ladder to assert themselves as legitimate challengers.
While he was injured, George worked on two of his game’s weaknesses — ballhandling and perimeter shooting. He returned this season a more well- rounded player and averaged 29.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the first month of the season. Those numbers have dipped as the season has worn on, but George has his swagger back.