How great has it been to see Paul George playing basketball again?
George was expected to miss the entire 2014-2015 regular season but returned for Indiana's final six games. He has played well in limited minutes but with the playoffs on the line, he may have overtaxed himself. George played over his 10-15 minutes restriction in a double-overtime win against Washington on Tuesday night and then last night he played against Memphis, despite the fact that it was a back-to-back game.
This proved to be his undoing as early in the fourth quarter, George injured his left leg and had to be helped off the court.
The good news is that this was not the same leg that George gruesomely injured in last summer's Team USA scrimmage. The bad news is that he heard a "pop."
Candace Buckner of the Indy Star has the details:
"Just came off a screen and felt a pop, but they looked at it and it's nothing more than just a calf strain," George said, slowly. "It wasn't a knee injury but it's tough, you work so hard in rehab and have something else pop up. The good thing is, I know we've got a long summer and a lot to look forward to."
George, who walked on his own inside the locker room but limped significantly, described a wait-and-see plan to examine how the calf reacts overnight. He was uncertain if he would undergo an MRI after returning to Indianapolis.
"I just felt it," George said. "I knew it wasn't nothing good."
"It's motivation just to get back to who I was but I'm going to be smart about it," George said. "I don't know whether it was overcompensating being on the left or what but I'm motivated to make sure that this right leg is strong as my left, so nothing like this pops up again. It is frustrating but the good thing is I have a whole summer ahead of me and a lot to look forward to working out."
With the Pacers losing and not qualifying for the playoffs, George going down again just added to their woes. But as he mentioned to Buckner, he is motivated to be one of the league best players again. He worked hard to come back from a compound fracture this season so we should count on him coming back even stronger next season.
Thank you Memphis and all my fans!! It's been my toughest year by far but looking forward to my greatest summer ahead!
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) April 16, 2015
