How Paul George, The Playmaker, Sealed Game 1
By Jay Neal
Paul George scored 27 of his 33 points in the 2nd half, but his playmaking shows how the Pacers can overcome their late-game issues.
The Indiana Pacers’ struggles to close out games have been well documented. They lost 15 games by five points or less during the regular season, mostly due to poor execution and being careless with the ball with logic-defying turnovers.
So, you couldn’t blame Pacers fans if they were nervous about the outcome of Game 1 as the bench unit went the first 5 minutes of the fourth quarter without a field goal. Fans had seen this movie on a seemingly endless loop, like repeatedly watching “A Christmas Story” on Christmas Day. Fortunately, the Pacers had their own Red Ryder BB gun in the form of Paul George.
George’s 27 second-half points will make all the headlines, but his playmaking in the fourth quarter to complement his scoring made the difference between the Pacers stealing Game 1 on the road and collapsing down the stretch — as they have so many times this season.
After the game, Monta Ellis told Indianapolis Star columnist Greg Doyel, “We knew he had it going. That’s why we continued to run the same play.”
I hate to be #WellActually guy, but there were two different plays Indiana ran to gain separation from Toronto.
With the score tied at 76, the Pacers ran a post-up/isolation play for George on the right block. The first option — hitting George Hill on a flare screen for 3 — was taken away, so George attacked DeMar DeRozan baseline, forced the Raptors to help at the rim, and hit Rodney Stuckey for a wide open corner-3.
After scoring on the next two possessions — a 3-pointer out of a timeout and a pull-up jumper from a floppy set that turned into isolation — George takes a pin-down screen from the same floppy set. This forces the Raptors to switch Patrick Patterson onto him.
Then, instead of attacking the mismatch immediately, PG is patient and runs a pick-and-pop that turns into a roll with Myles Turner. He hits the rookie with a perfect pass for an uncontested lay-up to extend the lead to 5.
After a Toronto free throw, Indiana returns to the floppy set.
This time, George — now being guarded by DeMarre Carroll — sprints across the lane and takes a pin-down screen from Turner. He curls off the screen tight, which forces Jonas Valenciunas to help as Carroll works to catch up.
The curl forces a double team, leaving Turner wide open under the basket for a dunk. Indiana leads by six.
After another pull-up jumper (and two Solomon Hill free throws), PG inserts the dagger.
The Pacers return to the post-up/isolation on the right block. Instead of going baseline like before, he penetrates the middle and forces a double team from one pass away. He hits Monta Ellis for an in-rhythm, left-angle 3-pointer to put the Pacers up 13 with less than two minutes remaining, effectively ending the game.
“I’ve always been the guy watching,” said George in the post-game press conference. “Watching [David] West makes plays, watching other guys ahead of me, Danny [Granger], make the plays. This was my opportunity. This is my team.”
Time will tell if the Pacers have turned the corner on their late-game woes, but this was an extremely positive first step.
Next: Myles Turner Shines in Playoff Debut
Their best player — and the best player in this series — taking the leadership role and making all the right plays in a high-pressure situation is something the Pacers will need if they are to pull the first round upset.