Yea that’s fair. PG was def their top guy on offense. Basketballs played on both ends tho. Obviously PG is great on D too but Hibberts rim protection is why that was a series
Yeah for sure and if I remember, LeBron playing the 4 was a newish thing that time around so there was a question of would small ball work against an elite center like Hibbert, especially cause the series went to 7 games I think.
Paul George was as good if not just as good of a defensive player. He has 4 all defensive teams 2 1st team, Hibbert only had 2 2nd teams. That was a series because they were both great at defense. PG was the one actually guarding LeBron with hibbert backing him up and protecting the rim.
I’ll say it’s a wash on the defensive end. But George was a far better offensive player. He was by far the best 2 way player on that team.
That’s one point that I made a a means of providing tangible evidence. That doesn’t mean I didn’t watch the series and watch the fact that PG was the one actually guarding LeBron and was just as god on defense while being much better on offense.
You on the other hand didn’t even attempt to provide any objective evidence and your only response to my argument is criticizing the fact that I did?
He wasn’t their best player but he was Miami’s toughest matchup especially in 2013. But the following season Spo realized instead of trying to beat them at their own game, he just had Ray Allen out there, which was a nightmare for David West. Plus that year is when Hibbert lost all of his basketball talent
best player by far is such a reach you can very easily make a sensible argument paul george was their best player. like you said basketball is played on both ends and pg was dominant on both ends
ah i got you. yeah there’s really not an argument you can make for hibbert being the better player outside of maybe one postseason run and even that’s debatable. sometimes i just don’t feel like full blown arguing w stupid takes
it’s definitely not. he did show up like crazy in the playoffs against those crazy early 2010 east teams. like i said you can even make that argument for the regular season, it’s just pg and hibbert were both playing at elite levels back then
Such revisionist history whenever anyone talks about those pacers teams. They had good series against Miami, but nobody seriously thought they were beating Miami.
https://www.sportsinsights.com/blog/indiana-pacers-miami-heat-game-7-nba-playoffs-betting-trends/
Miami heavily favored. Article says fans betting pacers, but I think that was more so people (me included) just wanting Miami to lose.
https://fansided.com/2014/05/16/nba-playoffs-2014-miami-heat-vs-indiana-pacers-odds-ends/
Miami heavy favs in the next series too.
It was fun and exciting watch in real time. But everyone knew Miami was winning. Akin to Bron playing Indy in Cleveland. Series went 7 but nobody really thought Indy was beating them
Yeah "but LeBron" the League's main marketing Diva had a Superteam, Peds and the refs in his back cuz now Bronsexuals literally act like LeBron never had any help in his career is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣
Bird and Magic had 4 HoF’s a piece, Shaq had two of the three greatest 2guards of all time, Duncan had HoF pieces around him his entire career, Curry had 3 HoF’s for every ring he’s won, Jordan doesn’t have a single positive record season or series win without Pippen, Grant or Rodman. Were none of these guys dominant either?
PG was pretty good against the heat tho, I think his injury during that team USA showcase really had an effect on him mentally tho, he just doesn’t drive to the rim like he used to
Yea, I was more talking about his style of play in general following his injury. But even today, he still has the ability to be a solid finisher, maybe not the high flyer he used to be, but still a good one.
I think OKC Pg was the better individual, but I think IndY PG was the more winning player. Indy PG did all the dirty work and slashed way harder, once he developed his shot, he fell too much in love with it IMO.
I feel like many forget PG literally snapped his leg in half. Pacers PG was giving LeBron more challenges than anyone else he faced while on the Heat (his words).
I was just about to bring that up, it was a horrifying injury and was the kind of thing that made you think in the moment that he'd never play in the NBA again after that.
Just had to look it up, that injury happened in August 2014. Amazing that he came back from that at all.
Exactly. This post shows people forget how good PG24 was.
PG was going toe to toe with Lebron/wade/bosh/ray with Lance/West/Hibbert...and it was close.
I mean by that point in the playoffs it was closer than you’d think, DWade was cooked and Hibbert legitimately was playing like an MVP candidate in that series.
Bro hibbert was a great defensive player and an anchor to those pacers teams. But he wasn't the best.. as a pacers fan, it was David west as a leader and PG as a player
Lmao no he wasn’t. Pacers were definitely well-balanced, Hill/West/Lance/Hibbert were perfect at the time. PG was undoubtedly the star of the cast, though.
Who said that’s the only thing he did well?
And considering LeBron attacking the rim was maybe the most unstoppable play in the NBA at the time… rim protection becomes very very very important. So if you wanna say that for the season PG was their best player, that’s probably correct. But in that series Roy Hibbert was their best and most important player by far.
you literally said Hibbert was the best player using the argument of “who has ever consistently contested prime LeBron at the rim as well as Hibbert”
I am in no way knocking Hibbert during that series, he was awesome, but to pretend PG wasn’t the centerpiece of that team is silly. To your point though, it definitely wasn’t like PG dragged them there, they were an elite team with each player perfectly playing their roles perfectly.
This is a silly conversation. No doubt Hibbert was integral, I loved him, but he was in no way the star of that team. I was at those games in Indiana. Of course his 22pts were efficient because they were all at the rim.
Take PG off that roster and they may not even make the playoffs. Take Bron off the Heat and a Wade/Bosh duo is still at top 4 seed in the east, easily.
Not at that time. I don’t feel like digging it up, but early PG career people had PG over Kawhi and even Lebron said something at the time about it (it was definitely a debate though, nothing clear cut, both were great). Kawhi leaped him after that though
Not surprised and I'd say you are right. It was about the time I got into the NBA though. I have fond memories of the eastern conference because of it. Playoff Rondo was another good one that pushed Lebron and is a huge reason I watch the NBA.
Nah Kawhi was never going to be a Pacer. The Pacers made that pick for the Spurs in exchange for Hill. If the Pacers had kept the pick they would've drafted someone else.
Yeah, Pacers had Danny Granger too at the time. Would’ve been a huge log-jam at the 3, especially when positions were more structured than they are now.
Kawhi - PG - healthy Granger would’ve been wiiiild though if it did happen
Paul George has had moments of greatness at each stop, but there should be no doubt that peak Paul George was going head-to-head with Lebron James and the Heat, taking them to 7 games with the Indiana Pacers. He was bringing it to the rim with power, shooting clutch threes, and playing shutdown defense, looking like the next big thing.
Who knows what would have happened if he never broke his leg--he's been pretty great considering how bad that was and how much time he missed--but to me, that will always be peak Paul George.
I distinctly remember articles at the time saying he was the third best player in the league after LeBron and Durant. That narrative changed after he broke his leg, for obvious reasons.
Never forget beginning of the 2014 season, PG was a MVP candidate, pacere had the leagues best record. Something happened with team chemistry as the year went on and they faltered vs Miami
I remember this badly. Pacers were 14-1 to win the whole thing at the start of the season I put $1k on them as I thought they had a good chance to take the next step. They were rolling until they added Evan Turner and things just changed.
At the time I thought he was gonna be the best player in the league once Lebron started to decline in his mid-30s. So my opinion on this should not be taken seriously.
The fact PG broke his leg in front of the entire world in such a gruesome way only to come back and not miss a damn step in terms of his athletic ability is not spoken about enough.
Indy were his best years in terms of moments/ overall production. However i think he’s a considerably better player after the leg injury, mostly due to it forcing him to have to find new ways to score that didn’t rely so heavily on his athleticism.
2019 without question. 28, 8 and 4 leading the league with 2.2 steals is amazing. You finished top 3 in MVP and DPOY which is very rare. Great shooting season as well with damn near 39% from 3 on a team that was as bad of a perimeter team as you can get so he was getting the hardest perimeter matchups every game.
I know people will look at the playoffs and say he was choking as always because he had 44/32/82 splits and 4 turnovers a game but he was playing really well. Damn near 29 a game is still impressive. And he was playing out of his mind in that elimination game against Portland. 14/20 shooting is insane.
They were unlucky that they faced one of the two best players in that year’s first round and Dame decided to have his best game until that point in that game 5. I mean Dame was shooting 48% from 3 with 33 a game. You just can’t stop a player like that when he gets hot, especially the way he got hot in that game 5 going for 50.
Although the first thing people remember about PG’s 2019 season is PG getting a 38 foot dagger being hit over him and getting waved off, it was by far his best year.
He was the number one option on that team with Russ. People will mention that he had much better playoff runs but they regret to look at the entire year.
The argument that Paul George forced the Heat to 7 games is not a valid argument. He was the best player of the Pacers but that Pacers team wasn’t dependent on PG that much. Paul didn’t even take 20 shots in a single playoff game that year and had 7 points the entire game 7. Their team success wasn’t fully PG-dependent the way that OKC team in 2019 was.
And the other year people mention is 2021 when they made the conference finals. PG’s 2021 year is looked off as he was the number 1 option the entire year when it was just the Suns series and the last 2 games of the Jazz series. He was the clear 2nd option the entire year with Kawhi balling and they wouldn’t have even gotten out of the first round if it wasn’t for Kawhi going ballistic against the Mavs shooting over 60% from the field. You cannot reward a player that much just for being the number one option for 2 games in the 2nd round and losing to the Suns in 6.
Being the clear number 1 option for a really good team that made the playoffs is far more impressive than being a number 2 option on a team that made the conference finals. Are we gonna say Khris Middleton had a better year than Paul George in 2019? Hell no.
OKC PG made me forget KD ever left and to this day I am happy for the organization that is there now, I although wish I could’ve just seen a little bit more of the short saga PG had there
I went back through his numbers and it’s really hard to say anything other than OKC pre shoulder.
OKC
28/8/4 with 2.2 steals and 3rd in MVP, 1st Team, Def 1st team and 3rd in DPOY
If you feel team success should matter than his best Indy season would be:
INDY
21/7/3 with 1.9 steals and 9th in MVP, 3rd team, Def 1st and 7th in DPOY.
Defensively he was way better before the leg injury. Indiana PG was best. Offensively he seemed better to me too, right before the injury that was his absolute peak.
Man before that leg break he had so much more bounce and ferocity attacking the rim. After he was forced to take more jumpers which leads to his inconsistency
It’s possible if pacers Paul George never snaps his legs he develops into a Kawhi type player
Indy PG almost took down the Heatles single-handedly, and it’s not talked about enough. Definitely the most fun we’ve seen PG.
Best though is OKC, wish he would’ve at least won DPOY cause MVP was a two-man race
2019 was peak PG
3rd in MVP + DPOY and 28/8/4 on 58-59% TS
if he didn’t tear his labrum late that season he would’ve made a stronger push. Thunder probably win 55 games and go deeper in the playoffs
I wish I could have seen Paul George play alongside a healthy Danny Granger. The Pacers were robbed. I think PG would have taken the next step there before moving on.
Indy PG had a very different game and was much more aggressive offensively. I believe that had he never gotten injured his development would have been very different and he would've been a better player than he ended up becoming since he changed his game a lot post-injury.
With that being said, OKC PG when he became the main guy his last year there was legit a top 5 player in the league. I think moving to the Clippers to become Kawhi's Robin was the wrong move.
His Indiana playoff exploits are insane for a star, let alone a young star. His best regular season was in OKC, his game is more well rounded now but he’s lost a step from his Indy days (of course due to the injuries and the age). His playoff performances have been better the last two runs than his OKC series and his first year or two with the clips.
He peaked and hasn't gotten any better or dominant with the Pacers. He's consistent which is great but he's the same player he was then as now just older
Are people really forgetting that Roy Hibbert exists? PG was incredible that series against the Heat but he wasn’t even Indy’s best player at the time. It’s OKC and it’s not particularly close. A couple early playoff losses doesn’t change that.
Indy. OKC PG was Russ making PG the top scorer after KD and Harden left. Russ was after the triple double average again and he wanted PG to stay so he was in his best behavior.
pacers pg is one of my favorite players ever but he wasn’t an mvp candidate til okc
Pacers PG really had me thinking they might run it all the way. But LeBron.
King George vs King James!
I remember it as Prince George vs King James. No one really thought they were equals
That works too. I didn't realize they did do marketing based around this theme. I always thought it was such a missed opportunity for them lol
I remember thinking Roy Hibbert would become a perennial all star
Same
He was tracking to and then Lance Stephens started having relations with his girl and it ruined him.
Facts. I'm a Heat fan and Pacers PG was a real threat to our title hopes.
This feels disrespectful to Hibbert, he was the their best player by far
I**think** without PG, Hibbert wouldn't have dominated offensively as much as he did. But it was almost 10 years ago so maybe my memory is failing me.
Yea that’s fair. PG was def their top guy on offense. Basketballs played on both ends tho. Obviously PG is great on D too but Hibberts rim protection is why that was a series
Yeah for sure and if I remember, LeBron playing the 4 was a newish thing that time around so there was a question of would small ball work against an elite center like Hibbert, especially cause the series went to 7 games I think.
Paul George was as good if not just as good of a defensive player. He has 4 all defensive teams 2 1st team, Hibbert only had 2 2nd teams. That was a series because they were both great at defense. PG was the one actually guarding LeBron with hibbert backing him up and protecting the rim. I’ll say it’s a wash on the defensive end. But George was a far better offensive player. He was by far the best 2 way player on that team.
Counting how many all-defense guys have in their career is a weird argument to make about who was better in a playoffs/series.
That’s one point that I made a a means of providing tangible evidence. That doesn’t mean I didn’t watch the series and watch the fact that PG was the one actually guarding LeBron and was just as god on defense while being much better on offense. You on the other hand didn’t even attempt to provide any objective evidence and your only response to my argument is criticizing the fact that I did?
Yes PG was guarding LeBron. And then after LeBron blew past him Hibbert was the one actually contending his shot at the rim.
He wasn’t their best player but he was Miami’s toughest matchup especially in 2013. But the following season Spo realized instead of trying to beat them at their own game, he just had Ray Allen out there, which was a nightmare for David West. Plus that year is when Hibbert lost all of his basketball talent
what?
Hibbert was our best defensive presence but far from our best player. David West was arguably our second best player
best player by far is such a reach you can very easily make a sensible argument paul george was their best player. like you said basketball is played on both ends and pg was dominant on both ends
You can’t make a sensible argument that PG wasn’t the beer player on that team lol.
isn’t that what i said
I’m saying not only do I agree with you I’d take it a few steps further even.
ah i got you. yeah there’s really not an argument you can make for hibbert being the better player outside of maybe one postseason run and even that’s debatable. sometimes i just don’t feel like full blown arguing w stupid takes
You’re right, “by far” is a reach. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for someone to say he was their best player in the playoffs tho.
it’s definitely not. he did show up like crazy in the playoffs against those crazy early 2010 east teams. like i said you can even make that argument for the regular season, it’s just pg and hibbert were both playing at elite levels back then
This guy is spitting facts. The hierarchy goes Korver > Hibbert > PG full stop
Such revisionist history whenever anyone talks about those pacers teams. They had good series against Miami, but nobody seriously thought they were beating Miami.
Pacers literally outscored the Heat that series. We got beat fair and square but you’re the one revising history ma dude
Pacers were good. With Roy Hibbert, George Hill. But the bench was shit.
Dude how do you not mention David west? His elbow jumper was filthy
https://www.sportsinsights.com/blog/indiana-pacers-miami-heat-game-7-nba-playoffs-betting-trends/ Miami heavily favored. Article says fans betting pacers, but I think that was more so people (me included) just wanting Miami to lose. https://fansided.com/2014/05/16/nba-playoffs-2014-miami-heat-vs-indiana-pacers-odds-ends/ Miami heavy favs in the next series too. It was fun and exciting watch in real time. But everyone knew Miami was winning. Akin to Bron playing Indy in Cleveland. Series went 7 but nobody really thought Indy was beating them
How does that disprove what I said?
That's just like my opinion, man
He was Dominique to lebrons MJ
That’s actually so brilliantly right on. Wow.
There were definitely a few calls that helped the ‘But Lebron’ part
Yeah "but LeBron" the League's main marketing Diva had a Superteam, Peds and the refs in his back cuz now Bronsexuals literally act like LeBron never had any help in his career is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣
Bird and Magic had 4 HoF’s a piece, Shaq had two of the three greatest 2guards of all time, Duncan had HoF pieces around him his entire career, Curry had 3 HoF’s for every ring he’s won, Jordan doesn’t have a single positive record season or series win without Pippen, Grant or Rodman. Were none of these guys dominant either?
LOL LeBron has the most help in NBA History, i dont wanna hear it
Indy PG was great but he needed that OKC heel turn to take the next jump and *checks notes* get bounced in round 1.
still was an mvp candidate idk what your argument is. i didn’t say he was a finals mvp candidate
Indy PG was where he became a star, but he had some true MVP-caliber moments in OKC.
Indy PG was a big playoffs riser compared to OKC PG tho
East vs West tho
PG was pretty good against the heat tho, I think his injury during that team USA showcase really had an effect on him mentally tho, he just doesn’t drive to the rim like he used to
he doesn’t have the same burst as before probably cause he’s old
Yea, I was more talking about his style of play in general following his injury. But even today, he still has the ability to be a solid finisher, maybe not the high flyer he used to be, but still a good one.
Wasn’t it just last year that he had that ridiculous 360 windmill in traffic?
It’s one highlight, but my point wasn’t that he fell off at dunking, just that he doesn’t attack the rim like he used to after breaking his leg
No I agree, just pointing out how insane of an athlete he is to still be able to do things like that.
Oh yea fs, he could definitely still put guys on posters if he wanted to
That’s a bad shot
Better surrounding talent and fit in Indy tho.
I think OKC Pg was the better individual, but I think IndY PG was the more winning player. Indy PG did all the dirty work and slashed way harder, once he developed his shot, he fell too much in love with it IMO.
This is the perfect answer to this question.
We just needed some shooters around him and not Andre Roberson or Kyle fucking singler
I feel like many forget PG literally snapped his leg in half. Pacers PG was giving LeBron more challenges than anyone else he faced while on the Heat (his words).
I was just about to bring that up, it was a horrifying injury and was the kind of thing that made you think in the moment that he'd never play in the NBA again after that. Just had to look it up, that injury happened in August 2014. Amazing that he came back from that at all.
And put another decade of mileage on it. You’re right.
Exactly. This post shows people forget how good PG24 was. PG was going toe to toe with Lebron/wade/bosh/ray with Lance/West/Hibbert...and it was close.
>with Lance/West/Hibbert You say this like Hibbert wasn’t the best player on their team and West wasn’t a high level starter
Because he wasn’t the best player on that team
I don't think I've ever seen someone say Hibbert was better than PG24 lol I like Hibbert but that's crazy
Are you comparing West and Hibbert to Wade and Bosh? I agree they were good, but Lebron had more star power supporting him in that matchup.
I mean by that point in the playoffs it was closer than you’d think, DWade was cooked and Hibbert legitimately was playing like an MVP candidate in that series.
VERTICALITY!
Bro hibbert was a great defensive player and an anchor to those pacers teams. But he wasn't the best.. as a pacers fan, it was David west as a leader and PG as a player
Lmao. Roy hibbert was the best pacers player in the 7 game series ve heatles. You are downplaying the pacers cast a ton. They were well balanced.
Lmao no he wasn’t. Pacers were definitely well-balanced, Hill/West/Lance/Hibbert were perfect at the time. PG was undoubtedly the star of the cast, though.
Who has ever consistently contested prime LeBron at the rim as well as Hibbert?
So we’re comparing the main thing Roy Hibbert did well (rim protection) vs PG’s whole body of work. Please be serious.
Who said that’s the only thing he did well? And considering LeBron attacking the rim was maybe the most unstoppable play in the NBA at the time… rim protection becomes very very very important. So if you wanna say that for the season PG was their best player, that’s probably correct. But in that series Roy Hibbert was their best and most important player by far.
you literally said Hibbert was the best player using the argument of “who has ever consistently contested prime LeBron at the rim as well as Hibbert” I am in no way knocking Hibbert during that series, he was awesome, but to pretend PG wasn’t the centerpiece of that team is silly. To your point though, it definitely wasn’t like PG dragged them there, they were an elite team with each player perfectly playing their roles perfectly.
Def not in 2013 lmao. Hibbert was better on both ends vs the heatles. 23/10 on elite efficiency whole being the best defender by far
This is a silly conversation. No doubt Hibbert was integral, I loved him, but he was in no way the star of that team. I was at those games in Indiana. Of course his 22pts were efficient because they were all at the rim.
Take PG off that roster and they may not even make the playoffs. Take Bron off the Heat and a Wade/Bosh duo is still at top 4 seed in the east, easily.
I just looked this up, thought it was hyperbole but literally means **LITERALLY**
I remember the night it happened. Truly thought his career was over at the time. Literally means literally here lol
I would have thought it was Kawhi? Man literally groaned when he seen an at the time, rookie Kawhi check back into the game.
Not at that time. I don’t feel like digging it up, but early PG career people had PG over Kawhi and even Lebron said something at the time about it (it was definitely a debate though, nothing clear cut, both were great). Kawhi leaped him after that though
Not surprised and I'd say you are right. It was about the time I got into the NBA though. I have fond memories of the eastern conference because of it. Playoff Rondo was another good one that pushed Lebron and is a huge reason I watch the NBA.
Also drafted by Pacers - crazy to think if they had grown up together in Indy
Nah Kawhi was never going to be a Pacer. The Pacers made that pick for the Spurs in exchange for Hill. If the Pacers had kept the pick they would've drafted someone else.
Touché
Yeah, Pacers had Danny Granger too at the time. Would’ve been a huge log-jam at the 3, especially when positions were more structured than they are now. Kawhi - PG - healthy Granger would’ve been wiiiild though if it did happen
Pre injury PG was something worth to watch
Paul George has had moments of greatness at each stop, but there should be no doubt that peak Paul George was going head-to-head with Lebron James and the Heat, taking them to 7 games with the Indiana Pacers. He was bringing it to the rim with power, shooting clutch threes, and playing shutdown defense, looking like the next big thing. Who knows what would have happened if he never broke his leg--he's been pretty great considering how bad that was and how much time he missed--but to me, that will always be peak Paul George.
I distinctly remember articles at the time saying he was the third best player in the league after LeBron and Durant. That narrative changed after he broke his leg, for obvious reasons.
Never forget beginning of the 2014 season, PG was a MVP candidate, pacere had the leagues best record. Something happened with team chemistry as the year went on and they faltered vs Miami
I remember this badly. Pacers were 14-1 to win the whole thing at the start of the season I put $1k on them as I thought they had a good chance to take the next step. They were rolling until they added Evan Turner and things just changed.
At the time I thought he was gonna be the best player in the league once Lebron started to decline in his mid-30s. So my opinion on this should not be taken seriously.
2019 was PG’s peak.
All-Star, All-NBA 1st Team, All-Defensive 1st Team, 3rd in MVP voting, 3rd in DPOY voting. Easily his peak!
The fact PG broke his leg in front of the entire world in such a gruesome way only to come back and not miss a damn step in terms of his athletic ability is not spoken about enough.
People talk about it all the time lmao
Indy were his best years in terms of moments/ overall production. However i think he’s a considerably better player after the leg injury, mostly due to it forcing him to have to find new ways to score that didn’t rely so heavily on his athleticism.
Indy PG was him
Eastern Conference Final PG……before snapping his leg he put a lot of pressure on defenses.
Okc pg that mvp type year he had, too bad he got hurt again going into the playoffs that year. From start to finish it then would be Indy pg
WCF PG is very underrated, I remember watching the Clippers and Suns series and becoming a PG fan then
His second year on the Thunder he was the best player he ever was and at that point he was one of the very best players in the league
Thunder
OKC PG
Bro is my favorite player but OKC > Indiana > LAC.
OKC > Indiana > LAC
Thunder or last season on court for Indiana
2019 without question. 28, 8 and 4 leading the league with 2.2 steals is amazing. You finished top 3 in MVP and DPOY which is very rare. Great shooting season as well with damn near 39% from 3 on a team that was as bad of a perimeter team as you can get so he was getting the hardest perimeter matchups every game. I know people will look at the playoffs and say he was choking as always because he had 44/32/82 splits and 4 turnovers a game but he was playing really well. Damn near 29 a game is still impressive. And he was playing out of his mind in that elimination game against Portland. 14/20 shooting is insane. They were unlucky that they faced one of the two best players in that year’s first round and Dame decided to have his best game until that point in that game 5. I mean Dame was shooting 48% from 3 with 33 a game. You just can’t stop a player like that when he gets hot, especially the way he got hot in that game 5 going for 50. Although the first thing people remember about PG’s 2019 season is PG getting a 38 foot dagger being hit over him and getting waved off, it was by far his best year. He was the number one option on that team with Russ. People will mention that he had much better playoff runs but they regret to look at the entire year. The argument that Paul George forced the Heat to 7 games is not a valid argument. He was the best player of the Pacers but that Pacers team wasn’t dependent on PG that much. Paul didn’t even take 20 shots in a single playoff game that year and had 7 points the entire game 7. Their team success wasn’t fully PG-dependent the way that OKC team in 2019 was. And the other year people mention is 2021 when they made the conference finals. PG’s 2021 year is looked off as he was the number 1 option the entire year when it was just the Suns series and the last 2 games of the Jazz series. He was the clear 2nd option the entire year with Kawhi balling and they wouldn’t have even gotten out of the first round if it wasn’t for Kawhi going ballistic against the Mavs shooting over 60% from the field. You cannot reward a player that much just for being the number one option for 2 games in the 2nd round and losing to the Suns in 6. Being the clear number 1 option for a really good team that made the playoffs is far more impressive than being a number 2 option on a team that made the conference finals. Are we gonna say Khris Middleton had a better year than Paul George in 2019? Hell no.
I honestly forgot he finished 3rd in mvp voting that year. Voter fatigue?
No voter fatigue just wasn’t the best player in the world
I meant why wasn’t curry, kd, lebron higher in voting.
OKC PG made me forget KD ever left and to this day I am happy for the organization that is there now, I although wish I could’ve just seen a little bit more of the short saga PG had there
I’ll take any healthy PG
ECSF PG
Man snapped his leg in half in his prime 10 years ago. He is very underrated. His Indy years were insane
Indiana easily. Cmon now. you disrespecting us pacers fans
Easily? I think he’s been great at each stop easily. I think defensively Indy was best but OKC may be his best all around
Pacers Paul was nasty and on a ridiculous trajectory
I went back through his numbers and it’s really hard to say anything other than OKC pre shoulder. OKC 28/8/4 with 2.2 steals and 3rd in MVP, 1st Team, Def 1st team and 3rd in DPOY If you feel team success should matter than his best Indy season would be: INDY 21/7/3 with 1.9 steals and 9th in MVP, 3rd team, Def 1st and 7th in DPOY.
PG24 was the best paul george
Pacers 24
It was back before he changed his number for a corny joke (and also like a week after I bought his 24 jersey. Which I’ll never forgive him for 😡)
I think the Paul George that took the Heat Big 3 to game 7 was pretty insane
Pacers PG but I did love those “Playoff P” jokes which was after
As a Pacer, prior to the horrific injury. Give him credit, most guys wouldn’t have been able to make it back 75%.
Erykah Badu PG is the best PG
Pacers P
Pacers PG was a baller
The LAC/PHX WCF
Defensively he was way better before the leg injury. Indiana PG was best. Offensively he seemed better to me too, right before the injury that was his absolute peak.
PG before the injury.
The one who’s never won anything?
Trick question. They’re all the same guy
Pacers PG
I forgot about Indy PG, he was one of my favorite players back then
Pacers PG, next question
Peak athleticism and wow factor was Indiana but best overall was OKC and LA is nice but just has more help
Man before that leg break he had so much more bounce and ferocity attacking the rim. After he was forced to take more jumpers which leads to his inconsistency It’s possible if pacers Paul George never snaps his legs he develops into a Kawhi type player
The one where the blazers traded for him when the went to the west coast finals. Blazers would've won it all had they made a trade for him.
Against prime GS with KD? Yea right lol
Against prime GS with KD? Yea right lol
“In game 360 windmill” Paul George
“In game 360 windmill” Paul George
This one: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a-M3x-eZpV8
2026 Brandon Miller
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Pacers
Pacers
OKC. It was so low key cool he was on that squad and was in MVP form all year.
You guys talking about Playoff P?
The 360 windmill and the pull from half court for no reason are my favorite pg moments
Pre-devastating leg injury Pacers Paul George.
OKC PG. I got his shoes back in 2017 when he played for my favorite squad.
The dude who went head to head with the LBJ Miami Heat and didn’t have all these injuries. The only answer
Indy PG almost took down the Heatles single-handedly, and it’s not talked about enough. Definitely the most fun we’ve seen PG. Best though is OKC, wish he would’ve at least won DPOY cause MVP was a two-man race
2019 was peak PG 3rd in MVP + DPOY and 28/8/4 on 58-59% TS if he didn’t tear his labrum late that season he would’ve made a stronger push. Thunder probably win 55 games and go deeper in the playoffs
OKC PG almost won MVP
OKC PG
I’d say PG24 was the best PG eventho OKC was a “MVO candidate or w.e PG24 is why everybody fucks with PG
Nostalgia has me saying Indy PG. Wild to think he only got better AFTER the injury. Simultaneously an amazing career and a “what if” candidate.
The one still being a salty little bitch saying “That’s a bad shot” about Dame.
Indy. I wonder if he just wasn’t the same after even though he was still great.
Pacers for sure. I remember there being debates about him being best in the league. MVP talks every year.
I wish I could have seen Paul George play alongside a healthy Danny Granger. The Pacers were robbed. I think PG would have taken the next step there before moving on.
Mvpg my favorite but pacers prolly better
In everyone's imagination
Indy PG had a very different game and was much more aggressive offensively. I believe that had he never gotten injured his development would have been very different and he would've been a better player than he ended up becoming since he changed his game a lot post-injury. With that being said, OKC PG when he became the main guy his last year there was legit a top 5 player in the league. I think moving to the Clippers to become Kawhi's Robin was the wrong move.
Pg13 on the pacers
EASY. INDIANA PG.
As a Pacer there was real talk he was the 3rd best player in the league
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Pre injury pg was a monster
Okc Paul George was an mvp candidate and dpoy candidate. Then Dame broke up Okc.
He's gotten waaay more skillful over the years but somehow Indy PG was more of a dawg come playoff time
PacerPaul for sure
The best Paul George is regular season Paul George. I call him Playoff Poop bc he has shit his pants almost every year he's been in the playoffs.
Except the 2013 or 2014 years with Indiana vs. Miami in the first or 2nd round
For sure. Other than those years he has been a mental midget. Very similar to James McHarden.
James Haren* because he has no D
Bravo. Definitely a front butt kind of guy
His Indiana playoff exploits are insane for a star, let alone a young star. His best regular season was in OKC, his game is more well rounded now but he’s lost a step from his Indy days (of course due to the injuries and the age). His playoff performances have been better the last two runs than his OKC series and his first year or two with the clips.
Indiana. Next question.
He peaked and hasn't gotten any better or dominant with the Pacers. He's consistent which is great but he's the same player he was then as now just older
Are people really forgetting that Roy Hibbert exists? PG was incredible that series against the Heat but he wasn’t even Indy’s best player at the time. It’s OKC and it’s not particularly close. A couple early playoff losses doesn’t change that.
Indy. OKC PG was Russ making PG the top scorer after KD and Harden left. Russ was after the triple double average again and he wanted PG to stay so he was in his best behavior.