Where did all the hype for Paul George go?

Amid the late game craziness that occurred in Game 5 between the Pacers and Heat on Wednesday night, it was Paul George's offensive explosion and three-point barrage that helped Indiana live to see another day.

George finished with 37 points overall, 31 points in the second half and 21 points in the fourth quarter alone. He took 14 three-pointers, shot 35 percent from behind the arc, and shot 10-of-14 (71%) from two-point range. Other than the fact that he only got to the free throw line three times, it was a very balanced 37-point performance from a player who's yet to be considered a consistent scorer.

While his offense still has its peaks and valleys, George's defense is much more consistent, and that part of his game was on full display in Indiana last night. George finished with six steals and the Pacers scored on four of those six ensuing possessions for eight extra points. That's the two-way brilliance of P.G.

Everyone remembers George's breakout postseason performance last year, when he helped the Pacers get through the Hawks and Carmelo Anthony's Knicks en route to a seven-game slug fest with LeBron James and the Heat. But the two-time All-Star has actually been much better in this year's playoffs, with the only difference being that his and his team's success was a lot less expected last year while the Pacers struggled to eliminate inferior opponents this year.

If you don't believe it, check the table below and keep in mind that George has played exactly the same amount of time - 41.1 minutes per game - as he did last postseason:

The lack of hype surrounding George's excellent postseason run this year can be attributed to both a personal and team slump. After the Pacers started the season 33-7 with George playing out of his mind and into the MVP discussion, things went South in a hurry starting in late January.

The Pacers went just 23-19 the rest of the way to back into the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed - something only possible in the East - and George's shooting went into the dumpster. Through his first 42 games of the season, George shot over 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point territory. Over his next 38 games (he played in 80 this season), he shot 37 percent from the field and 33 percent from deep.

Add in the fact that people were talking about his embarrassing off-court issues (When you type 'Paul George' into Google, the first autofill is 'stripper.' The third is 'catfish.'), and you've got a nightmare second half.

It was ugly. But it was also a stark reminder that these players live in a 'what have you done for me lately?' kind of world. If George's season had been completed in reverse - If he and the Pacers started slowly and then absolutely dominated for the final two-to-three months of the season, how different would things be? Would George have been a more central figure in secondary MVP talks (no one was taking it from KD)? Would his playoff performance to date be lauded following a hotter and more hyped finish to the regular season?

Instead George went into the playoffs with somewhat of an 'overrated' label by those who place too much value on offense and not enough on defense.

At the end of the day, all things included, George still finished the season with averages of 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals, while posting an above average True Shooting Percentage of 55.5 and a right-around-average Effective Field Goal percentage of 49.0. He managed to post those average-to-above average shooting figures despite using over 28 percent of his team's offensive plays while on the floor and while maintaining his status as one of the game's best defensive players.

George still isn't a finished product on the offensive end, and the cold streaks he enters while trying to carry a stagnant Pacers attack are evidence of that. But he also took a step towards becoming one of the more complete scorers in the NBA this season, which is impressive for a 24-year-old defensive game changer.

In fact, since the adoption of the three-point line for the 1979-80 season, only 26 other players over the last 35 years have posted seasons of 20-plus points with a TS% above 55.0 and Usage Rate above 28 percent while also making at least one three-pointer per game. You have to be a complete scorer to hit those benchmarks over an entire season, and that list of names is littered with such scorers.

What you'll notice when skimming that list, however, is that other than the absolute legends - like Jordan, James, Bird, Bryant and maybe a handful of others - no one else on that list was ever even remotely close to being the caliber of defensive player that George is.

In today's game, how many of the league's premier perimeter defenders are capable of taking over a game offensively like George did in Game 5 against the Heat? LeBron, obviously. But who else? It's an extremely short list.

At 24, George is still evolving, especially as an offensive player. But his shooting slumps, the salacious off-court drama, and the fact that he's no longer an unknown breakout star on an up and coming team shouldn't distract us from appreciating the quality of player he's already become or what he's capable of on any given night.

Most were salivating over his potential just a year ago, in the midst of an exciting postseason performance. Well he's been even better this year, so why all the dry mouths?