After a tumultuous regular season, the Indiana Pacers managed to eke their way into the playoffs, finishing as the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed. Their reward for the late-season surge? A date with the champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
While trying to upset the Cavs – even in their seemingly vulnerable state after a rough end to the regular season – is a daunting task, at least one Pacer is excited about the challenge. In fact, star forward Paul George says he wanted the Cavaliers all along.
Following via Nate Taylor of the Indy Star:
“We’ve got to go out and challenge them,” George said. “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 matchup against.”
From an outsider’s viewpoint, this seems silly. The Cavaliers are still the favorites to come out of the East and have the potential to turn on a switch and get through the East in a breeze.
But from a competitive standpoint, nothing is better than hearing one star forward get excited to match up against the best player in the world and the defending champs. The playoffs cannot start soon enough.
