Paul George didn’t exactly take last night’s Game 4 loss to the Miami Heat well. The Pacers superstar forward said that he believes the Pacers outplayed the Heat, and that the team lost because Miami got to the free throw line more…which led to him questioning the game’s officiating.
Via Sports Illustrated:
“You can’t tell me we don’t attack the basket as much as they attack the basket,” George said. “You can’t tell me we’re not aggressive. Maybe we’re too aggressive. We’re just as aggressive as they are attacking the basket and making plays at the rim. Maybe this was just home cooking.”
Game 4 was played at Miami’s American Airlines Arena, where the Heat are now 7-0 during the postseason.
Even though Indiana couldn’t contain LeBron James (32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists) or Chris Bosh (25 points and six rebounds), it was George’s opinion that the refereeing crew of Dan Crawford, James Caper and Marc Davis had a major hand in the game’s outcome.
“Looking at the stat sheet we outplayed them,” George said. “You have to give them credit, they won this game at the free throw line. They really just were able to get to the line more than we were. I thought we outplayed them tonight.
“It’s just demoralizing when a game is lopsided. I’m sorry to say, but that was the case, again. How rare is it we shoot 50 percent, turn the ball over around 13 or so times, out-rebound a team and lose a ball game? … They made 30 free throws. That put them over the edge.”
Indiana was called for 27 fouls that led to 34 Miami free throw attempts. Miami was called for 17 fouls that led to 17 Indiana free throw attempts. The Heat outscored the Pacers 30-11 at the line, setting a new season-high for their most made free throws in a game.
James, as you might expect, came to a different conclusion when he reviewed the boxscore.
“We did only have five turnovers, seven steals and 20 points off their turnovers,” he said. “That has nothing to do with the free throw line.”
Unlike his All-Star forward, Pacers coach Frank Vogel took a no-excuses approach in explaining his team’s defeat, giving full credit to his opponents.
“We got outplayed by the Heat,” Vogel said. “They’re the best offensive team in the NBA. That’s the biggest reason [we’ve struggled defensively]. They’re got great weapons. They’re very difficult to guard.”
