INDEPENDENCE: For members of the Cavaliers, respect goes beyond what Indiana Pacers forward Paul George has accomplished on the basketball court. It extends to what he had to do to get back to there.
During a scrimmage in the summer of 2014, George suffered a grisly injury while a member of Team USA. According to reports at the time, he suffered a compound fracture of his right leg, an injury that required special surgery.
After the surgery, George tweeted: “Thanks everybody for the love and support. I’ll be OK and be back better than ever!!! Love y’all!! #YoungTrece .
That tweet has proved prescient.
After sitting out most of the 2014-15 season, George has produced two of the best scoring seasons of his career, including 23.7 points per game this season.
The Cavs’ LeBron James said it’s easy to admire George.
“I think the No. 1 thing that stands out is anybody can be great in the form of comfort,” James said. “But when things don’t go your way and adversity hits, how can you get back to the point that nobody thinks you can get back to?”
George’s injury proved so severe that some speculated it might be career-ending. That he was able to come back at the end of that 2014-15 season was extraordinary.
“It’s great to see as a competitor and as a friend, he’s someone that I’ve had a lot of great playoff series with and great conversations with, to see him back to where he needs to be,” James said.
George’s story came full circle last year when, as a member of Team USA and as a participant in the 2016 Olympics, he along with Cavs guard Kyrie Irving claimed Olympic gold. Irving said he didn’t spend a lot of time with George, but he could understand his journey.
“He had something to prove, which is very understandable,” Irving said after Friday afternoon’s practice. “He was trying to make up from what he missed from being injured so you just got to commend a guy like that, just going through what he went through and to be able to come back to where he is now.”
And now, George has more to prove and it starts with a first-round playoff series against the Cavs.
“We’ve got to go out and challenge them,” George said to the Indianapolis Star after the team’s final regular season game. “It’s going to be tough. They’ve been struggling of late, but they’re still one of the best teams in this game and have one of the best players in the world. It’s going to be a fun matchup. I’m looking forward to it. If you ask me, it’s who I’ve wanted to match up against.”
Wanting that matchup is understandable, considering George is averaging 24.8 points and 8.8 rebounds against the Cavs.
[He’s] one of the top players in the league, especially from that small forward position,” Cavs forward Kevin Love said. “He’s so tough to guard, it doesn’t matter if he’s shooting turnaround Js, coming off pick-and-rolls, transition 3s, getting to the basket. He just gives me a little bit of everything while playing the other end just as hard and just as well.”
In a game on April 2 — an epic double overtime victory for the Cavs — George and James gave fans in attendance at Quicken Loans Arena a classic scorers’ duel with George nipping James 43-41.
“We have to be very aware of him. We know he’s going to score his points because he’s a great player, but we have to do a good job of taking out all the other guys — C.J. Miles, Monta (Ellis), Aaron Brooks and Lance Stephenson,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, “so we have to make it tough on him, show him different things, different schemes, throw different people at him and just try to take those other guys away.”
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeorgeThomasABJ.