It's all about playing the right way. That's a line Larry Brown turned into a cliche when he coached the Pacers in the 90s, and one that Nate McMillan is reviving with this season's version. But how does it apply to Paul George?
Is it right for him to get his teammates involved and share the offensive load, or to be assertive and look to score? Should he average about 22 points a game, as he has throughout this season, or 25 or more?
It so happens the Pacers are 12-3 when he scores 25 or more points, such he did on Friday by scoring 33 points in an overtime victory over Sacramento, and just 5-9 when he scores 20 or less. It defies logic, given the amount of offensive talent he has around him, and it doesn't seem “right” for him to dominate the ball so much. But the results are undeniable.
“We're starting to get a rhythm, starting to get an identity,” said George, whose assertive nature was most evident in the fact he tied his career record with 17 free throws attempts and set a career standard by making 16 of them.
“I'm being aggressive, my teammates are following suit. They want me to shoot the ball and be aggressive, so that's what it's coming down to. I'm feeling good and getting into a rhythm.”
If the Pacers had not made their comeback from a 16-point second-quarter deficit and lost to the Kings, or had they lost Thursday night's game at Minnesota when George scored 32 points, he would no doubt be blamed by some for not getting his teammates more involved. And it's obviously it's a delicate issue. Team president Larry Bird has stated he views George as a 22-point scorer rather than a 25-per-night player, and McMillan agrees.
“You have to play the game the right way,” McMillan said before Friday's game. “We're going to give him opportunities and he has to make reads. You get into forcing shots (if you try to score more). If you have the shot and feel good about the shot, you take the shot. If there's somebody guarding you and an open teammate, you move the ball.
“I've seen that a lot, with fans and the media talking about players who, when they do average a lot of points, they say they're not passing the ball (enough). He's averaging 21 or 22, that's a good number. You play the game the right way. We look for him to score the ball for us, but mainly look for him to play the game the right way.”
George's average is now 22.7 points, a tick below last season's career-high average of 23.1. His field goal percentage is decent (.453), his 3-point percentage is very good (.391) and his free throw percentage is exceptional (.925). That rate of accuracy leads the NBA, and if it holds, would be the fourth-best percentage in franchise history. Reggie Miller topped it twice, and Chris Mullin holds the all-time best single-season percentage of .939.
So, it seems wise for George to continue attacking the basket and taking his beating from the big guys, an approach much easier said than done. But he said the path to the foul line he carved out on Friday was more improvised than planned.
“Just taking what they give me,” he said. “They're a physical team. I was just countering their physicality with being aggressive.
“For me it's fun. If the refs are going to allow us to play physical, I enjoy it.”
George didn't take the ball to the basket on a couple of crucial late-game possessions. He missed a step-back 18-footer on the left baseline with 36.9 seconds left in regulation with the scored tied at 104. DeMarcus Cousins, who finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds, missed missed a short shot in the lane and Jeff Teague saved the rebound from going out of bounds. After a timeout to set up a potential game-winning shot, George went one-on-one and missed another jumper off the dribble from 22 feet, forcing overtime.
“The only thing I had was to take that shot there,” he said. “It was just me and (the defender) on that island.”
George missed another big shot in regulation, a 3-pointer from out front that would have tied the game with 2:21 left after Teague had stolen the ball from Cousins. The crowd buzzed with anticipation as he let it go, but it clanked off the back of the rim.
“I was thinking about the celebration,” he said to Teague afterward. “I was thinking about the crowd going crazy. That thing hit hard.”
George could afford to laugh about that miss, given all the makes. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, eight of them from the foul line, and then hit all three field goal attempts in overtime – a driving layup in traffic, an 18-foot jumper that broke a tie and a 21-foot jumper with 35 seconds left that broke another tie.
George had plenty of help. C.J. Miles, starting for the second straight game, took nine shots, all of them 3-pointers, and hit six of them for 18 points. Teague added 17 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Myles Turner had 14 points on nine field goal attempts. Al Jefferson (nine points), Monta Ellis (eight points while hitting all three shots), Lavoy Allen (four points and four rebounds) and Glenn Robinson III (four points, two steals) all made meaningful contributions off the bench.
One could look at George's shot attempts (18) and his modest assist total (three) and wonder if indeed he should have gotten his teammates more involved. But none of them were heard to complain.
“Whenever he can get it going offensively, teams have to over-help and worry about him, and when that starts to happen it opens the game up for everybody,” Turner said.
The Pacers are now 24-22, short of their expectation. But they just won a difficult road game and an overtime game over two improving teams, and won the second half of a back-to-back set for just the second time this season, in nine attempts.
George's ability to find a workable definition for “playing the right way” should have a lot to do with what happens from here on.
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