Indiana forward Paul George was honored Tuesday as the NBA’s Most Improved Player.
The announcement came less than a week after the 6-foot-9 forward finished his breakthrough regular season and less than 48 hours after he became only the second player in franchise history to record a triple double in the NBA playoffs. He had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the Pacers’ 107-90 Game 1 win over Atlanta — giving the Pacers their first 1-0 series lead since 2006.
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Indy.
George won in a runaway. He received 52 first-place votes and 311 points — more than double the point total for runner-up Greivis Vasquez of New Orleans. Vasquez had 13 first-place votes and 146 points. Milwaukee’s Larry Sanders was third with 10 first-place votes and 141 points.
George averaged 17.4 points and 7.6 rebounds this season, both career highs. He averaged 12.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 2011-12. He’s the fourth player in franchise history to win the award, joining Jalen Rose, Jermaine O’Neal and Danny Granger.
Via ESPN.com
© 2013, Eldorado2452. All rights reserved.