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Paul George on potential return: 'I've passed all the tests'

Steve Mitchell / USA TODAY Sports

If it were up to Paul George, the All-NBA guard would already be on the court with his teammates in their desperate fight for a playoff spot.

But, alas, it's up to the Indiana Pacers to decide when their franchise player can return from a devastating leg injury, and it's something George understands, despite his enthusiasm.

"I thought I could give something (when I was) in the boot, I was ready to play then," George told Candace Buckner of the IndyStar. "I feel good but it's not just me that has to feel good, everyone has to feel good about it. That's what we're waiting on. It could be close, it could be not but everybody's got to be on the same page with this."

"I've passed all the tests, I feel," George added. "The last is just doing it consistently and over a long period of time of having great practices ... that's the last step."

Despite the temptation of adding a potential short-term boost, the Pacers have been patient in George's rehab. He's already been ruled out of Sunday's game, for example.

As it stands going into Saturday's games, the Pacers sit one game back of the Boston Celtics for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. However, although adding George would be a huge upgrade on the wing and inject a much-needed boost into their postseason push, there's little hope of the team upsetting the Atlanta Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers, even with a healthy George - which makes rushing his return not worth the risk.

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