Paul George Says He Might’ve Won a Ring if Not for LeBron James [Video]

The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers had a competitive seven-game series in 2013 — also known as the Paul George coming-out party. A team led by George, now NBA Champion David West, and high-level complementary players, the Pacers challenged LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. They stole Game 2 in Miami but inevitably fell in seven games.

Game 7 ended with a final score of 76-99, a dominant win behind LeBron James’ 32 points. NBA All-Star Paul George was on The Pivot Podcast, where he mentioned that if there had been no LeBron James, he could’ve potentially been a champion.

“I’m thinking about it the other day, like had there not been LeBron James, I might have one [championship],” George told The Pivot’s trio. “Had we not played LeBron James, or if there was no LeBron James, we might have won one in Indiana. I felt like the guy in the East… we played Carmelo. Got Carmelo out of there… we played a tough Wizards team with John Wall and Bradley Beal, nobody could come through us.”

Paul George finished that season with a 49-32 record. However, the Pacers peaked at the right time, and behind George’s huge performances, they almost pulled off the impossible.