With just seconds remaining, Paul George passed to C.J. Miles when LeBron James doubled him at the top of the key. Miles, the open man, attempted a fade-away jumper at the buzzer that missed.
LeBron James had a great response after Pacers' Paul George chided a teammate for taking and missing a game-winning shot
LeBron James felt Paul George made the right basketball play on the final possession of Game 1, even if George was not happy with the results.
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After the game, George chided the decision, saying, "
"I can only speak for myself. When you're doubling me, I'm giving it up. That's me. I don't know how everybody else feels about that, but if you get a double, I think we all know math in here: There's two guys on the ball, and that means there's a 4-on-3. You have your numbers. So if you're the best player on the floor, that doesn't mean you have to take the shot. I think he made the right play, and you live with the results."
Here's the play:
George certainly made the right decision by passing to Miles, but criticizing Miles for not giving the ball back certainly won't inspire faith in the Pacers locker room. James, who has been wrongly criticized in the past for passing the ball to the open man on game-deciding shots, certainly understands that putting trust in teammates and living with the results is sometimes the best way to operate.