After losing three home games in a row, Paul George called for a players-only meeting after their practice to address their lack of communication on the offensive end in the 2016-17 season of the NBA. In their next two games, the Indiana Pacers showed their response to George's plea and won in convincing fashion against the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers.
"I wanted to get the guys together and kind of wanted to get them to just start seeing the game differently," George said. He was referring to their lack of communication on the offensive end. "No reason why we can't communicate on the offensive end," he added.
Early in the season, the Indiana Pacers have struggled to win games on the road but managed to take care of their home games. In their 3-game losing streak at home, they struggled offensively and were often sloppy with the basketball.
The team listens to Paul George
"He told us we need more movement, we need to communicate just as much on offense as we do on defense," Glenn Robinson III said, who started in place of the injured George. "And to have fun," he added.
In their game against the Nets, the Indiana Pacers did a constant effort to communicate on both ends of the floor. They had ball movement and player movement. They crushed the Nets 118-97 and left the game feeling good about themselves.
NBA 2016-17 for Indiana Pacers is going to be tough
In their next game, they delivered their most impressive win so far in the season by thumping the Clippers 91-70. The Clippers were healthy and all their key players were present but the Indiana Pacers showed they wanted it more. The Pacers limited them to a season-low 70 points while allowing just 31.4 percent from the field. They also forced 20 turnovers against a Clippers team that have been consistently good with taking care of the ball this season.
What made the win even more impressive is that they did it without Paul George and CJ Miles. The Pacers have been up and down this season and still in the process of figuring out their identity. They will be tested in their next five games as they go on the road against the western conference.