The Toronto Raptors defeated the Indiana Pacers in a tight game seven, 89-84.
Here is Casey’s full press conference from after game seven(skip to around the 5:40 mark to hear his comments on Paul George):
If you can’t listen, here’s what was said:
Q: How would you describe Paul’s performance throughout this series?
Casey: “Unbelievable. I’ll tell you what, I remember trying to prepare for a young Kobe Bryant, and this young man reminds me of trying to prepare for a young Kobe Bryant back in the Laker days, [when I was] back in Seattle.”
…
I think he’s back, and I’m happy for him. Now that we’re finished with him, I’m happy for him, because he’s a super young man. He represents everything basketball should be about, and he’s back to his All-Pro, All-Star form.”
This is obviously a massive compliment to George. Casey was an assistant coach for the Seattle Supersonics from 1994-2005, before heading to Minnesota from 2005-2007 for his first head coaching gig.
During Casey’s time in Seattle, the Sonics played the Bryant’s Lakers in just one playoff series: The 1998 Western Conference Semifinals, during Bryant’s second NBA season. The Lakers needed just five games to defeat the Sonics, though Bryant played just 40 minutes the entire series. So, when he referred to his experience preparing for Bryant, he was clearly referring to the regular season, not the playoffs
