Indiana Pacers players insist that their issues are strictly on the court. Paul George and George Hill insist that the media have been making up salacious stories regarding teammate Roy Hibbert (PG addressed the rumors on Instagram Tuesday.) Per the Indy Star:
“Just getting tired of the media and these stories,” George said. “Just putting everything to bed, everything to rest.”
Hill, who was pictured holding a peace sign in the buddy-buddy group shot, echoed his teammate in blaming the “media.”
“You guys keep making up stories,” Hill told the assembly.
“(We’re) just trying to focus, letting Roy know that through all this B.S. going on and rumors and all that. We’re brothers. None of that is happening,” Hill said. “This locker room is a tight group, we’re going to continue to be there for each other through the rumors and all the people that’s trying to break it apart.”
In the Pacers’ Game 1 loss to the Wizards, Hibbert finished with no points and no rebounds for the third time in less than a month. Hibbert’s struggles have been well chronicled as well as the support of his teammates to overcome the criticism.
“Everybody, including myself I’ve had criticism my whole life,” Lance Stephenson said. “I just don’t look at it at all. I just try to focus on basketball and what’s going on in the locker room with us.
“I don’t think there’s no problems with us. I just think this last game, they played better than us and they came out more aggressive than us. Tonight we just got to throw the first punch and not let them.”
