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.