After the Pacers took Game 2 from the Heat by defending well enough to get LeBron James to turn the ball over on consecutive possessions with the game on the line, Gorge Hill was asked if there was any player in the world more dangerous with the ball in that situation.
“Yeah, it’s only like one person that’s more scarier than that and that’s God,” Hill said. “I’m sure if we’re looking at him in the face, we would be very nervous. I’m sure he can make all the plays that we want people to make.”
James did turn in a somewhat otherworldly performance, shooting 70 percent from the field on the way to scoring 36 points, while pulling down eight rebounds and finishing with three assists and three steals. But he wasn’t buying into the hype, especially after costing his team a chance to win the game with miscues on those final couple of possessions.
“I’m nowhere near close,” James said. “I made two mistakes tonight. That hurt our team. And that hurt more than anything. Let my teammates down. They expect me to make plays down the stretch, and I had the ball with the opportunity to make a couple of plays and I came up short. That burns.
“But the best thing about it is this isn’t college. It’s not one loss and you’re done. I have another opportunity to get better in Game 3, and if I’m put in that position again, to be able to learn from it.”
The Pacers will fully expect James to be better than ever in Game 3, and to come out to try and do everything he can to make up for how this one ended. Despite his comments, Hill may not be in full idol-worship mode when playing against James. But he and his team are certainly very cautious in their approach in dealing with the one of the game’s best.
“LeBron is a great player,” Hill said. “He’s the MVP for a reason. “He’s one of the best that ever played this game. He’s a big focal point. We know that he’s up there probing the floor and looking at everything. We can’t just focus on him. We have to focus on the people around him, because he’s a great play‑maker. He has our full attention.”
