When Larry Bird and the Indiana Pacers decided to trade in defense for offense last offseason by letting go of Ian Mahinmi, Solomon Hill, and George Hill to sign Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and Al Jefferson, hopes were high. Many picked the Pacers to be a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Pacers started slow, and looked as though they might miss the playoffs. Pacers star Paul George spoke with USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt about that slow start:
“I was in a dark moment, a low moment,” he said. “I had a bunch of ankle injuries going on. The team wasn’t meshing well. The chemistry between myself and Jeff (Teague) wasn’t where it should’ve been. … I’m the guy who has to bring it on both ends, and I wasn’t feeling like I was capable of doing it physically. So it was wearing on me.”
…
“Now, I’m in a good place physically and emotionally,” George said.
George’s better health (physical and otherwise) has led to improved performance on the court. George had his best month in January, averaging 24.5 points per game on 42.3% three-point shooting. When George plays well, the Pacers win; the team won nine of their 13 January games.
The Pacers now sit six games over .500, and have a very comfortable hold on the sixth seed.
