VIDEO: Paul George says Pacers 'outplayed' Heat, suggests officiating a factor
No one ever really wants to admit guilt, but it seems Paul George was playing in a different game on Monday night, judging by his comments after the Heat took a 3-1 series lead over his Pacers.
"We outplayed them tonight," he told reporters after the 102-90 loss to Miami. "You got to give them credit. They won this game at the free-throw line. They really just were able to get to the line more than we were."
Erm. While George finished with a respectable 23 points and seven rebounds, Heat forward Chris Bosh was on fire with 25 points and added six rebounds. LeBron James finished with 32 points including 14 in the third quarter alone. It was his 74th playoff game scoring at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists, taking over Michael Jordan's No. 1 spot on the all-time list. Also, Pacers center Roy Hibbert scored zero points. So, perhaps not the standard definition of "outplayed."
He also suggested that the officiating may not have played in the Pacers' favor:
“You can’t tell me we don’t attack the basket as much as they attack the basket,” George told reporters. “You can’t tell me we’re not aggressive. Maybe we’re too aggressive. We’re just as aggressive as they are attacking the basket and making plays at the rim. Maybe this was just home cooking.”
LeBron was not impressed with George's observation.
"We did only have five turnovers, seven steals, and twenty points off their turnovers," he said while reading the stat sheet at the news conference. "That has nothing to do with the free-throw line."
Watch both clips from the news conference here: