On Sunday Night, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers faced off and put on one of the best shows of the season. The main reason for this exciting game, was because of the duel between LeBron James and Paul George which went into two overtimes. LeBron had himself a brilliant game with a triple double, finishing with 41 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists and did his part on the defensive end with 2 steals and 1 block. On the other side, Paul George had one of his best single game performances also. Finishing with 43 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, hitting shot after shot predominantly in the overtime periods.
After this great performance, King James was sure to let PG13 and his fan base know his appreciation for the competitive basketball game and for Paul George.
LeBron has some words for Paul George
LeBron James took to his Instagram to post a message after the game, a message aimed at the Pacers star small forward. LeBron said:
"Nothing but love and respect @ygtrece! Love the battle last night bro!! Glad to see u back to where u belong. YoungKing13 striveforgreatness"
There is obviously a large level of respect from LeBron to George. They have a very close relationship, after battling against eachother in the playoffs in the past and earning respect from eachother. They are also connected with Nike basketball, both having their own signature sneakers.
But undoubtably, the high level of appreciation from LeBron is because of the scary injury PG suffered in 2014 when he participated in the Team USA intrasquad showcase game in Las Vegas. Paul suffered a broken leg after landing awkwardly, which left everyone in shock. And less than 3 years, and one number change later, the Pacers superstar is back to playing at an elite level, which is incredible.
LeBron and George have had battles before
LeBron James and Paul George have faced off against eachother in the past, in three occasions to be precise. Those being, in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semi Finals where the LeBron led Miami Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers in 6 games. The next time they would meet would be in 2013, where King James was able to lead his team past PG again.
The Heat won in 7 games, and moved on to the NBA Finals. The very next season, Miami and Indiana met once again in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals. This time the Heat pulled out the series victory in 6 games, led by... you guessed it... LeBron James. This history shows that the King has always had the upper hand on PG13, although Paul has always made things tough for The Chosen One.