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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: HEAT v PACERSMay 29, 2014Paul GeorgeMIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day Q. Paul, are you bracing for LeBron to come out very aggressive? PAUL GEORGE: Yeah, LeBron's going to be LeBron. He's going to come out and play with a lot of energy. I'm sure he's got a lot built up from not playing much in Game 5. So our hands are going to be full with LeBron. We know that. It's just about challenging him, myself challenging him, and playing at the same level he's playing at. Q. Paul, what's it going to take for you guys to get a win in Miami? You were so good in the previous two series on the road. What can you take from those, and are you able to push through in Miami? PAUL GEORGE: We've got to play well 48 minutes. We've done well there and let games slip away from us. It's going to be different because they're going to be on their floor, the crowd's going to be into it, and they feed off of plays the same way we feed off plays at home. So we've got to do a great job of, whether we're up or down, putting together a full 48 minutes of basketball. Q. Can you play like that fourth quarter last night for longer spurts, or is that best left in short bursts like that? PAUL GEORGE: No, the only thing was I didn't allow any doubt to creep into my mind. Every shot that I took, I felt was going in. That's how I've got to play. I've got to play to shoot the ball and shoot it aggressively and shoot it with confidence. Q. Paul, looking back at Miami in the playoff series the last couple of years, how much have they tested you? Are you surprised that this rivalry has evolved the way it is? PAUL GEORGE: They've really tested us. They've pushed us to the limit. Our season and our team has gotten better because of the battles we've had against them. And the reason why, we went out and got guys like Luis, went out on a limb to get Evan and add a bunch of pieces to this team, C.J. as well, because of the battle we had with Miami. It's always going to push us. This is the champions that we're playing against, and we like that we're a team that's able to go neck and neck with them. Q. How much do you think about Miami more so than any other NBA team? PAUL GEORGE: How much do I think about them? Q. Yeah, during the season, as they‑‑ PAUL GEORGE: I mean, I don't‑‑ Q. Keeping tabs on them. PAUL GEORGE: I watch them. I'm a fan of the NBA just in general. I watch guys. I watch guys in my position, guys that are the superstars in this league. I like to compare and contrast where I'm at with them. So I watch everybody. It's not just Miami. But because they're in our conference and the team we have to take out in order for us to get The Finals, I'll watch them. I see what they're doing, try to learn, pick up, not only how they're playing, but how can I be effective when we play them? Q. How special would it be to get back here for a Game 7? PAUL GEORGE: It would be extremely special because, at the end of the day, that was the opportunity we wanted, to have a chance to play Miami here, best of seven series and the seventh game being on our floor. That's what this whole run for this year was about, to find our way to get to The Finals. Q. Did you hear from anybody special after last night's game? PAUL GEORGE: Yeah, but my phone is turned off. It don't really mean much right now. Q. Is that something where you've taken after LeBron, turning off your phone to try to block out the outside world? PAUL GEORGE: Yeah, because I play good, I get 200 texts. I don't play good, it's only my mom texting me. It's just finding that common ground. It's serious right now. Q. Anything you can take from your Game 7 experience last year as you come down the stretch? PAUL GEORGE: Yeah, that whole‑‑ the Game 7 last year in the series, I tried to really play through it, but it really just drained the whole team, drained me. But I think now, this year, I'm mentally tough to fight through it and feel like I'm physically tough enough to fight through it. Q. If Lance is able to take LeBron defensively for fairly good stretches in the game, how much does that help you in terms of giving you some freedom? Not that you don't have a tough defensive matchup, but you're free from LeBron for a few minutes? PAUL GEORGE: Yeah, it definitely helps with my legs as far as being able to produce on the offensive end. It lets me roam a little bit on the defensive end, being able to help and just be disruptive on the defensive end. Q. Are you surprised he's been able to guard him as‑‑ not effectively, but as much as he's been able to guard him? PAUL GEORGE: I mean, not really. Lance is a great defender when he wants to defend. He gets a lot of credit for being savvy offensively, but when he decides to get into a guy and play defense, he can play defense. Q. On that last shot opportunity, what's your mindset? Is it pass first? Shoot first? LeBron kind of has that no‑win situation when he's in that situation. What are your thoughts on that? How do you approach it? PAUL GEORGE: I try to create enough space for myself to get a shot off, try to find and pick a spot on the floor where I feel like I can raise up. If I sense any help from someone around or somebody coming open, I try to make that play to my teammates to make the shot. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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