NBA News Wire
Pacers F George ready after shootaround
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Indiana Pacers forward Paul George had no setbacks during Saturday morning’s shootaround and declared himself ready to play Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals at the Miami Heat.
George sustained a concussion in the fourth quarter of Game 2 of the series on Tuesday night when Heat guard Dwyane Wade’s knee struck the back of George’s head while diving for a loose ball. He said after the game he “blacked out.”
George was cleared to return Friday after passing the NBA’s concussion protocol. Then, he practiced Saturday morning with no issues.
“Feel good. Feel great,” George said. “Ready to go.”
George only participated in non-contact drills Thursday and Friday. He worked on shooting and ball-handling.
George said some of the concussion tests, including endurance testing, were challenging.
“It’s a tiring protocol to go through to get cleared,” George said. “But I was able to manage my legs, still icing them, making sure they’re fresh as much as possible.”
Pacers coach Frank Vogel said he is not putting any minutes restrictions on George for Saturday night’s game. However, Vogel did say he was “mildly concerned” about how tired George’s legs were after going through the endurance testing.
“But he said he feels really good,” Vogel said.
George has averaged 21.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 41.3 minutes per game in the playoffs.
The series is tied 1-1.
