Post-Game Grades: Paul George Takes Over, Pacers Steal Game 1 in Toronto
By Jared Wade
90. 81. 100. 100. Final
Paul George was otherworldly leading the Indiana Pacers to a Game 1 win and taking home court advantage.
The Good: Paul George. Immaculate. His 27 points in the second half were the difference as much as his game-long, blanketing defense on DeMar DeRozan. Both players were All-Stars this season, but only one showed that he has that extra gear that means his name belongs up there with the Durants, LeBrons, and Kawhis of this league.
The Pacers are an underdog and were playing in a hostile Air Canada Centre. And they were getting outworked and outmuscled for much of the game. Then their superstar showed his greatness and took the game over. He ended the Raptors hopes to win almost single-handedly.
This was one of the best postseason Pacer performances we’ve seen in a long time. Only his own 21-point fourth-quarter performance against the Heat and his 39-point outing against the Wizards, both in 2014, are in the same category.
The Bad: The rebounding. The Raptors absolutely embarrassed the Pacers on the offensive glass. Indiana’s defense was stout in getting Toronto players to miss, but they could never finish the possession. Jonas Valanciunas got 11 by himself and the Raps finished with 20 on the night. That’s unacceptable.
MVP: Paul. George.
LVP: Lavoy Allen and Jordan Hill were not good.
X-Factor: Solomon Hill. See more below, but he was just wonderful.
Indiana Pacers. PAUL GEORGE. A+. <p> </p><p>Ball. Player.</p>. Small Forward
Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. MONTA ELLIS. B. <p>Some great stuff. He drove well and finished with 15 points and 5 assists. Hit 2 tough triples then added another late to plunge the dagger into the dinos.</p><p><span style=
GEORGE HILL. B. <p>The numbers aren’t good for Hill, but he played great D on Kyle Lowry, holding the All-Star to 11 points on 3-for-13 shooting. George also finished with 10 points on 5 shots, helped along by drawing a savvy foul while shooting a three.</p>. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers
B. <p>What a debut by the rookie. He blocked 5 shots, altered others, and knocked down 5 shots. He definitely got manhandled by Jonas on the glass, but hopefully the 20-year-old learned something from that and can watch some film to figure out how to get better position.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers. MYLES TURNER
IAN MAHINMI. B. <p>He spent much of the night in foul trouble, but played good D when he was out there. Certainly the offensive foul he picked up on a charge by Scola was an awful call.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers
B-. <p>Stuck made a few mistakes, most notably the horrorshow 3-on-1 fast break he led that without getting any points, but he also drilled a triple and was involved in a nice second-quarter stretch.</p>. Point Guard. Indiana Pacers. RODNEY STUCKEY
C. <p>Only hit one 3, but it seemed to come at a key time.</p>. Shooting Guard. Indiana Pacers. C.J. MILES
<p>Logged a few minutes, gave up a lob, and missed a hook shot.</p>. Center. Indiana Pacers. JORDAN HILL. D
D. <p>He started the game, missed a few layups, and was culpable in the offensive reboundfest for the Raptors.</p>. Power Forward. Indiana Pacers. LAVOY ALLEN
Indiana Pacers. SOLOMON HILL. A. <p>What more can I say? The Pacers have to be kicking themselves now for not picking up his $2.3 million option for next season, as he continues to impress off the bench as a key member of Frank Vogel’s rotation. Early in the fourth, when the Pacers bench couldn’t score, he got to the line twice. And later in the period, he drew another — and the all-important sixth — foul on Jonas Valanciunas to foul him out while battling for another loose ball. He knocked down his FTs, hit a triple, and was just generally a great source of energy.</p>. Small Forward
Indiana Pacers. TY LAWSON. C-. <p>Seemed to push the ball well a few times, but didn’t really make much of a difference. And the second-unit offense was trash on his watch to start the fourth, going nearly 5 minutes without a FG.</p>. Point Guard