The Indiana Pacers are in a trench. They’ve let all four of their past matchups slip away and sit at a paltry 15-18 through 33 games this season. That record qualifies for only 10th in the Eastern Conference, 3 games outside the playoff picture. Their franchise centerpiece Paul George has been surrounded by trade rumors and has also received fines due to criticizing referees.
The additions of key pieces Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague, and Al Jefferson in the offseason were supposed to make them more formidable than they already were. Once a team expected to seriously contend with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors in the East, this Pacers squad has significantly underwhelmed. According to George, Indiana’s success comes with their attitude and he is not going to let anything get in the way of him enjoying the game anymore. Following from Indystar’s Jim Ayello:
“I’ve been getting caught up with officials, getting caught up with on-court stuff,” George said after practice Wednesday. “(I’ve lost) sight of how fun this game is to me. … Now whatever happens on the court, I couldn’t care less, as long as I’m having fun and enjoying what I’m doing.”
George is done publicly criticizing officials, he said. No more fines. No more worrying about things he can’t control.
“This season hasn’t been (fun),” he said. “It’s been one of the most frustrating seasons I’ve been a part of. But I just have to approach it as being myself, to enjoy the process, enjoy the grind. That’s only going to show on the court. But more so, it’s going to show in the locker room.”
After a rough start to the year, George certainly seems to have the right mindset going forward. You can’t let the media or referees allow themselves to take the joy of playing the game you love and it seems PG finally realizes that.
When focused, Paul George is a top ten two-way player in the NBA. His shot-creating and natural scoring ability along with his lanky frame and the willingness to get his teammates involved makes him one of the most dangerous forces in the league. If this team were to get their minds right and make a run, there is plenty of season left for them to get back on the right track, they certainly have more than enough talent to make some noise during the playoff push come Spring.
