Pacers’ George tough to defend
INDEPENDENCE — For members of the Cleveland Cavaliers, respect goes beyond what Indiana Pacers forward Paul George has accomplished on the basketball court. It extends to what he had to do to get back to there.
During a scrimmage in the summer of 2014, George suffered a grisly injury while a member of Team USA. He reportedly suffered a compound fracture of his right leg, an injury that required special surgery. After the surgery, George tweeted: “Thanks everybody for the love and support. I’ll be OK and be back better than ever!”
That message has proved prescient. After sitting out most of the 2014-15 season, George has produced two of the best scoring seasons of his career, including 23.7 points per game this season.
The Cavs’ LeBron James said it’s easy to admire George.
“I think the No. 1 thing that stands out is anybody can be great in the form of comfort,” James said. “But when things don’t go your way and adversity hits, how can you get back to the point that nobody thinks you can get back to?”
George’s injury proved so severe that some speculated it might be career-ending. That he was able to come back at the end of that 2014-15 season was extraordinary.
“It’s great to see as a competitor and as a friend; he’s someone who I’ve had a lot of great playoff series with and great conversations with, to see him back to where he needs to be,” James said.
George’s story came full circle last year when, as a member of Team USA and as a participant in the 2016 Olympics, he, along with Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, won Olympic gold. Irving said he didn’t spend a lot of time with George but could understand his journey.
“He had something to prove, which is very understandable,” Irving said.
“He was trying to make up from what he missed from being injured, so you’ve just got to commend a guy like that, just going through what he went through and to be able to come back to where he is now.”
Now, George has more to prove, and it starts today in a first-round playoff series against the Cavs.
“We’ve got to go out and challenge them,” George said after the team’s final regular season game. “It’s going to be tough. They’ve been struggling of late, but they’re still one of the best teams in this game and have one of the best players in the world.”
Wanting that matchup is understandable, considering that George is averaging 24.8 points and 8.8 rebounds against the Cavs.
“(He is) one of the top players in the league, especially from that small forward position,” Cavs forward Kevin Love said. “He’s so tough to guard, it doesn’t matter if he’s shooting turnaround J’s, coming off pick-androlls, transition threes, getting to the basket.
“He just gives me a little bit of everything while playing the other end just as hard and just as well.”
On April 2 in a doubleovertime victory for the Cavs in Quicken Loans Arena, George and James gave fans a classic scorers’ duel with George nipping James 43-41.
“We have to be very aware of him. We know he’s going to score his points because he’s a great player, but we have to do a good job of taking out all the other guys — C.J. Miles, Monta (Ellis), Aaron Brooks and Lance Stephenson,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, “so we have to make it tough on him, show him different things, different schemes, throw different people at him and just try to take those other guys away.”