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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PACERS v HEATMay 24, 2013George HillMIAMI, FLORIDA: Game Two Indiana Pacers    97 GEORGE HILL: This is the big stage, I guess. Looks like I'm about to take a test or something. Q. George, talk about the adjustments that you made from Game 1 to Game 2, that everything seemed to flow a little better for you in particular. GEORGE HILL: The funny thing is from Game 1, after I left Game 1, I was very disappointed in myself as a player. But the funny thing, I walked out and I seen Kenny "the Jet" Smith and Barkley and Shaq, and one thing Kenny said is I have to be aggressive. This team is going to thrive on me being aggressive. Just try to come out tonight and be aggressive as I can. Try to make winning plays. Q. George, I know it's a team game and you guys are really focused on that. How big is it for you to actually just win your match‑up when you're looking against the big three? Do you feel that's something you can do to help your team win? GEORGE HILL: I don't think about just winning a match‑up. I just try to do what it takes to help the team win a basketball game. If that's being a good defender, trying to prevent my guy from scoring, that's what I have to do. We know they're a big‑three team. And when they add that four, that team is deadly. So trying to eliminate all the extra players that's out there to contribute to the game, that's our goal. Q. George, can you talk about the resolve of this team. Obviously disappointing loss from Game 1. The mind frame to be able to come back and withstand their runs throughout the game. GEORGE HILL: I don't think we were disappointed. We let one slip away, but I knew our team is focused. We came into practice yesterday and really told ourselves keep battling, keep fighting. It's going to come down to the winning hustle plays at the end. It's the team who is going to win is the one who make the winning plays at the end, getting the 50‑50 balls and things like that. Tonight we got the 50‑50 balls and made big plays at the end. The other night they did. Q. George, you were pretty down the other night after the game. How did you personally get over that and move on to tonight? GEORGE HILL: Just forget about it. I'm not a big guy ondwelling on the past. There was nothing I could do after Game 1. Only thing I can do is focus on Game 2. I went home‑‑ I mean went to the hotel, had a good meal, relaxed, stayed off my feet and tried to prepare my brain for Game 2. Just don't dwell on it. Q. What is so different about the physicality and the chippiness in this series as opposed to the Atlanta series and the New York series? GEORGE HILL: I don't think it's nothing dirty. Both winning basketball teams who play physical and not trying to give up ground. That's the way we play all year long. We're a physical team. We're not going to back down. We're just going to play good, hard Indiana basketball. Q. You came out of here last year winning Game 2. How much did it help you guys to learn from what happened last year in the series after being at one point going up 2‑1? GEORGE HILL: It feels like deja vu a little bit. We're in the same situation where we were last year where we gave away Game 1 and came back and won Game 2. We tell everybody don't focus on that. Put that in the past. We know each game means a lot. We can't focus on Game 4 and 5. We have to focus on the next game. That's what I tell the team, don't worry about the series 1‑1. Worry about the series as 0‑0, just win the next one. Q. You can appreciate what Sunday will be night Indianapolis, Indianapolis 500, Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. You're part of the double‑header. How much are you looking forward to that atmosphere and what it's going to be like? GEORGE HILL: It's going to be fun. All playoffs so Bankers Life Fieldhouse far has been amazing. All the fans has been there to support. A lot of mustard shirts have been in the stands and things like that. I'm very excited to get back home. I'm sure our team is the same way. Excited, our fans being there and all the extra fans from the Indy 500. We know they're going to be there. They're going to be partying at the race. We welcome all fans and just hope to pack out Bankers Life. Q. Is there any player in the world more dangerous with the ball in that situation facing the floor, looking at the defense than LeBron James? And how do you guys pick him off not once but twice in that situation? GEORGE HILL: Yeah, it's only like one person that's more scarier than that and that's God. I'm sure if we're looking at him in the face, we would be very nervous. I'm sure he can make all the plays that we want people to make. LeBron is a great player. He's the MVP for a reason. He's one of the best that ever played this game. He's a big focal point. We know that he's up there probing the floor and looking at everything. We can't just focus on him. We have to focus on the people around him, because he's a great play‑maker. He has our full attention. Q. At the same time, Paul George seemed to relish really going back at him. How much have you seen him grow from the beginning of the year, when he was kind of turning the ball over a lot and struggling to score? GEORGE HILL: I mean, unbelievable. The steps that he was taking so far to be the player he is. We tell him that no matter the situation, he have to go attack him back, make him work on the defensive end to try to tire his legs on the offensive end. So I think Paul has done a great job of mixing up jumpshots and attacking. But we're going to continue to need him to do that, to step up like he did today. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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