Indiana Pacers forward Paul George is hitting us with the “my bad” after his critical comments following a Game 1 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday.
In his postgame press conference after the Pacers lost 109-108 to open their first-round playoff series, George expressed frustration that C.J. Miles took the last shot for Indiana instead of him. But on Sunday, the All-Star forward reversed course and said that he had to have trust for his teammates.
“A lot of me, of course, being the leader of this team wants the last shot. And wants the game to be decided by me,” said George, per Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. “But at the same time, I’ve got to have trust for my teammates. C.J. has been in that position in this season where I needed him to make a big shot. And I’ve kicked it to him and he’s made the big shot.
“I thought he had a good look,” he continued. “A very makeable shot for C.J. But I was selfish in the moment. I wanted that shot in that moment.”
You can read the remarks George originally made after the loss here.
The three-time All-NBA selection is the Pacers’ alpha dog and designated closer, and he was feeling it before the final possession on Saturday with 29 points on six three-pointers. But the Cavs double-teamed George to get the ball out of his hands on that deciding play, and now it sounds like he understands that he has to trust his supporting cast to get the best possible look in those situations, even if the shot doesn’t go in.
