Paul George hits key free throws late in All-Star win
NEW ORLEANS -- Paul George has lost any chance to challenge two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James for that award this season, ceding the pursuit to Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma Thunder.
That's not his immediate concern, anyway. All he cares about is stopping another LeBron achievement of the past two years — the consecutive NBA championships King James and the Miami Heat have won.
After taking an early backseat to James in the All-Star Game on Sunday night at the Smoothie King Center, George put the East ahead for good, 156-155, by hitting three free throws with 1:41 left after being fouled on a corner 3-pointer by James Harden.
The East, which trailed most of the way, won 163-155. George hit two more free throws to seal it, finishing with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, five rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes.
Pacers teammate Roy Hibbert, an East reserve, had eight points and five rebounds in 12 minutes.
George will resume his quest for an NBA championship as the Pacers begin the stretch run of the regular season.
For now, he wants team supremacy rather than individual glory.
"We're ready for this moment now," George said two days before the All-Star Game. "We've been through it two years going against the Heat (in the playoffs). It's a lot of motivation. To come that close against the champions, there were a couple of plays we wish we could have taken back (in last year's Eastern Conference finals) and changed that were the deciding factor on us ultimately being in the finals. That has fueled us to get better."
Specifically, George referred to his allowing James to hit a winning layup at the buzzer in Game 1, giving the Heat a 103-102 overtime victory, and his indecisiveness in taking on James in the paint during game 3 as the Heat regained home-court advantage with a comfortable 114-96 win.
As teammates, George and James struggled to connect in the first half of the All-Star Game. Although George's only assist in the first quarter went to James, they combined on a rare miscue in the no-defense contest when George's flip pass to James ended in a miss after James hit his arm on the backboard.
James, who started the game with a steal and dunk, finished the quarter with 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
George was the only East player to miss more than half of his shots in the quarter, going 2-of-5. He also watched as Hibbert missed a 3-pointer after setting him up for a wide-open shot with a pass off a behind-the-back dribble.
Hibbert, who has hit only six 3s in his career but is 2-of-5 this year, played 6 minutes and 30 seconds in the first quarter, more than any East reserve. After his long-range miss, he made shots from 15 and 18 feet.
With George and Hibbert on the floor, the East trailed only 44-42 entering the second quarter. When they sat down along with James and Carmelo Anthony – George played 3:14 in the second quarter and Hibbert never left the bench -- the West stretched its lead to 89-76.
That point total broke the All-Star record of 88 points in a half set in 2012 by the West, which had beaten the East three years in a row before the streak ended Sunday night.
The Pacers' defensive-minded Frank Vogel, who coached the East, had no impact on the lack of effort in the first half. He said Friday he would not try to alter the game's exhibition-like mentality.
George heated up in the third quarter, scoring seven quick points and hitting his first trey in four attempts. Hibbert made both of his shots, improving to 4-of-5 from the field.
The way George and the Pacers started the season, winning 16 of their first 17 games while he dominated on both ends of the court, MVP talk entered the picture for the first time.
He has cooled down since then, but he hasn't given up on challenging James individually down the road.
"It's obviously a goal of mine and a dream of mine to be MVP of this league," he said. "I've got so much stuff to still work on, but I will get there. I see myself being the MVP soon."