Paul George Was Confident The Indiana Pacers Could Defeat The Miami Heat In 2014

The Indiana Pacers were two games away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George earned a lot in his career. But the one thing missing is a championship.

However, he got close to it when he played for the Indiana Pacers.

In a recent episode of Stephen A. Smith’s podcast The Stephen A. Smith Show, he said the Indiana Pacers had a chance at winning it all in 2014.

“2014 we lost to Miami in Indiana,” George said. “That summer is when I broke my leg. That was the most devastating part of my career from a standpoint of I felt after that year I had a great run playing against Miami, playing against Bron. I felt like going into that next year, I was going to play with the FIBA team, I was going to learn from other stars. I was going to take stuff from them, add value to myself going into the next season. I was really looking forward to that summer of getting better and finally figuring out how to get over the hump with my team in Indy. And the most devastating part about it was just the life that was taken away from everybody after that injury. Everyone left. D. West left, Roy left, Lance left. Really the window that was closed for us in Indiana. So I honestly believe we would’ve won a championship.”

Paul George believes the Pacers could have won it all, had he not gotten hurt pic.twitter.com/tgiRE86umo

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 2, 2023

The Pacers were definitely one of the favorites to win the 2014 championship. Not only did they finish as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference but they were the best defensive team. But they lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals for a second straight time.

During the offseason, George suffered a gruesome leg injury during a USA Basketball Showcase game in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite this, he is still playing at an All-Star level. But at this point of his career, he needs a championship to show for it.

HEAT-RELATED STORIES

Fans go crazy for Heat forward Nikola Jovic's summer play. CLICK HERE

Jimmy Butler hints it's close to Dame Time? CLICK HERE

Charles Barkley has issue with Damian Lillard trade request. CLICK HERE

For a look at some of the latest Heat apparel. CLICK HERE

If you wanna bet on any games at @PrizePicks or PrizePicks.com, use our link and code. They will match your first bet for up to $100. Here's the code: PR-R1YOFY6

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.