It will be LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers against Paul George and the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the playoffs.
It turns out that the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t get the number one seed in the east after all and that’s okay because they don’t really need it. When you have LeBron James, the best player in league then you can do things like what the Cavs have done. Even in their first round matchup, where they will play the Indiana Pacers, what they’re looking at facing on the other side is a top-ten player in Paul George.
Coming off their matchup on April 2nd, just a couple of weeks ago, fans will get to see these two titans clash again.
In that game, LeBron had a triple-double with 41 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists while George had 43 points with nine rebounds and nine assists.
It was truly a classic battle, one reminiscent of their playoff battles in the past.
In fact, James and George have had tremendous battles in the past in the playoffs while James was with the Miami Heat. Despite James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, this first round matchup should be no different from the ones fans saw when James was in South Beach.
Starting in 2013, James was said to have passed the torch and showed immense respect to George during the Eastern Conference Finals as they traded baskets and dapped each other at half court at the end of the third quarter.
That was probably the moment when LeBron realized that for the next years to come he would have a formidable opponent for years to come.
LeBron doesn’t have much competition in the league, particularly at the small forward position and especially in his conference but it’s good to see when the competition can rise up to LeBron’s standards and actually compete with him. It’s fun for the fans and fun for the players.
George, who averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range, is a player who can play up to LeBron’s standards.
In this matchup, LeBron has Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love so it won’t simply be one superstar against another but on the other side the Cavs are expected to get a lot of George, who averaged 24.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in four contests against the Cavs this season.
Besides the statistical upticks, George has shown that he is able to keep up down the stretch with the Cavaliers.
In the double-overtime game, it was his baskets that kept the Pacers in the game.
We can go into detail about George’s shooting stroke, athleticism and his steady development as a player who can create for others. However, it’s a simple as this: George is an elite talent and scorer who just has a natural ability to put the ball in the basket and that’s will keep the Pacers in the games in this series.
So while the Pacers aren’t a team I would bet on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs, it won’t be easy for the Cavs in this series. Last year’s opening round sweep of the Detroit Pistons , who played them tough, should be out the player’s minds because the Pacers are a different demon with an elite player on the perimeter to compete with James.
The Pacers, who also underachieved this year, just like the Cavs, and are trying turn things up during the playoffs just like the Cavs as well.
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What do you remember about LeBron James’ previous playoff series’ against Paul George and the Indiana Pacers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.