Indiana Pacers star Paul George believes that his team is the NBA equivalent of the Seattle Seahawks given their defensive prowess and physicality. The Pacers are the best defensive unit in the NBA, allowing an average of just 90.7 points per game which has helped them to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 39-10 record.
Frank Vogel’s men are now 23-0 this season when they have been able to hold their opponents to below 90 points, and George believes that both individually and collectively they remind him of the
newly crowned Super Bowl champions, the Seahawks.
“We approach it as a physical team and we do everything from a toughness standpoint,” George said,
as reported by USA Today.
“Like Seattle….Seattle’s got individual guys that stand out defensively, as we do, and as a group we put it all together. We’re a great comparison to that team because we do it from an individual standpoint and as a group.”
Like their apparent NFL equivalents, the Pacers benefit from long, athletic defenders in the form of George, Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson while the likes of David West and George Hill add further elements of toughness to the team.
Indiana allowed just 18.3 3-point attempts a game while also allowing the fewest field goal attempts in the league inside five feet, a tribute to effort on the defensive end both as individual talents and as a team.
While the season ended in glory for the Seahawks after their dominant 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos in New Jersey, it remains to be seen whether or not George’s comparison will see them ended the year with success too.
Given their relentless push for the best record in the league this regular season, they appear to be
on course to dethrone the Miami Heat and will leave nothing to chance in terms of having home advantage throughout the postseason.
If the Pacers can finish the job, the comparison will be valid.