Lance Stephenson shows up, and Paul George plays his best and most inspired game of the season. Can it really be that simple?
Absolutely, says George, who scored a season-high 43 points with nine rebounds and nine assists in Sunday's double-overtime loss at Cleveland.
"He gets all the credit," George said following the Pacers' practice at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday. "I'm back with my boy."
Well, then. If that's how it's going to go, the Pacers at least have justified optimism for the final five games of the regular season, five games they need to win to secure a playoff position.