Fresh off his 41-point performance in the NBA All-Star game, Paul George has plenty of reasons to try to make that a launching pad into remainder of the season.
It served as an impressive marker of just how far he's come since breaking his leg on Aug. 1, 2013. During last year's break, George first threw out the possibility of playing last season, a comment met with skepticism even within the Pacers franchise, but one that turned out to be accurate when he returned for the final six regular season games.
Then there was that double-team. Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to try to keep him from breaking Wilt Chamberlain's single-game scoring record of 42 points, forcing him to toss up a well-defended step-back jumper from behind the three-point line.