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Going toe-to-toe with LeBron James in Indiana‘s 135-130 double overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Paul George showed why he is one of the top players in the league. George finished the game with 43 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steal, a line that rivaled James' 41 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists. But while George was sensational, the Pacers lost and with a record of 37-40 are ninth in the East, currently out of the postseason picture.
Losers of four straight, Indiana's chances of making the postseason are now looking rather slim. They have the same record with the eighth place Heat but Miami has a tiebreaker over the Pacers. The Bulls, who are seventh in the East and just a game up on the Pacers, also have the tiebreaker with Indiana. The Pacers though, could still make the playoffs. They are right behind the Heat and Bulls and simply just need to end their losing streak and win their remaining games to be in the postseason. Plus as he showed against the Cavs, the Pacers have George, one of the best players in the league.
George is confident in himself and the Pacers, so much so that he believes not only will Indiana make the postseason but that he will also make an All-NBA team.
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From ESPN's Brian Windhorst:
“For contract reasons (All-NBA) is important. But I'm not thinking about contracts,” George said. “If my performance down the stretch lands me on the All-NBA, which I think I'm deserving of, then so be it. I'll be happy.”
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“I'm worried about making the playoffs,” George said. “I'm going to play at the highest I can, the best I can every night. Wherever that lands me, that's where it lands me. I'm fighting for a playoff spot.”
From a monetarily standpoint, making an All-NBA team is quite important for George. If he gets selected to an All-NBA team, George will be eligible to sign a more than $200 million designated veteran player extension with the Pacers this summer. Indiana can still extend him this summer even if he doesn't make an All-NBA team but George may decline because he can likely sign for more money elsewhere as a free agent in 2018. However when you look at the rest of the field, it seems very likely like George will make an All-NBA team.
Among all forwards, George will be competing for an All-NBA selection with James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Draymond Green and Giannis Antetokounmpo. James, Leonard and Green are virtual locks, which leaves three more spots to be filled. Durant's injury could possibly hurt his chances of being selected but he got injured later in the season and was playing superbly beforehand, so let's count him in. That leaves just two spots for either George, Davis or Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo has really come to his own this season, was an All-Star for the first time and has his Bucks in the playoffs, so he likely will get selected. This means that final All-NBA forward spot will likely either go to Davis or George. Davis has been phenomenal all season long but the Pelicans have struggled and won't be making the postseason. This is where George can get the upper hand on Davis. If George can lead the Pacers to the playoffs, which again is very possible, he will likely be selected over Davis for an All-NBA team. This may be a big if but with the way George has been playing as of late, he could possibly get Indiana into the postseason.
There is a lot riding on Indiana' s final five games of the season. If the Pacers don't make the playoffs, their future could be drastically altered as George could potentially leave in free agency if he doesn't make an All-NBA team and sign the designated veteran extension. If Indiana does make the playoffs, George will likely be selected for an All-NBA team and will continue to be the face of the franchise for years to come after signing the designated veteran extension. Two very different scenarios that will impact the Pacers for years to come. But they control their own destiny and its up to George and the Pacers to decide which future they will chose.
