INDIANAPOLIS -- Paul George says he packed for a week in advance of Sunday night's Game 7 against the Toronto Raptors. The Indiana Pacers superstar believes his team has the momentum after Friday's Game 6 win and feels confident his team will go to Toronto and win the series.
"If we're serious about extending our season and going on to the next round, then this is a must-win," George said after Saturday's practice. "It's 3-3. It's no one more game after the game [Sunday]. That's the motivation right there. It's win or go home."
The reason George packed so many extra clothes is because if the Pacers do win, they'll be headed to either Miami or Charlotte to face the winner of Sunday afternoon's Game 7 in the Heat-Hornets series.
George says he's been forced to take a more vocal leadership approach with his teammates during this series, but it's a role he feels comfortable with. He comes into Game 7 averaging 26.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 38.2 minutes a game during this series.
The 25-year-old says he will give a little speech to his teammates before Game 7.
"We're not going to just run out there," George said. "We'll have kind of like a scenario how we have here, have a little speech and let these guys know: [We're] putting it all on the line tonight."
Pacers coach Frank Vogel is hoping his team doesn't have to rely on George as much as it did during its Game 5 loss, when George scored 39 points, but the Pacers blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead. In Game 6, George led the way with 21 points, but all five Pacers starters scored in double figures.
"It's what we've been preaching for most of this series," Vogel said. "Even when Paul's getting really hot, he can't do it himself and we shouldn't ask him to. And we shouldn't pretend that that's going to get the job done. It's got to be a balanced attack, it's got to be a team win, a team effort. And to see our guys have that kind of balance [Friday] night is what we've been looking for."
The Pacers know there will be a raucous atmosphere at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday night, but they also understand how much pressure is on the Raptors to get out of the first round and finish off a series at home. George and his teammates have confidence knowing they have outplayed the Raptors for the bulk of three straight games.
"They're the higher-seeded team and also they're playing [at] home," Pacers big man Ian Mahinmi said. "It's just like us, if we were playing Game 7 at home, the pressure would be on us. The pressure's on them, but it's a Game 7. I don't think it really matters."