Paul George: Pacers have 'no sense of urgency, no winning pride'

Losers of 15 of their last 23 games, the Indiana Pacers have dropped to seventh place in the East, and their franchise player is calling out the locker room.

"Pissed," said Paul George in describing his mood after the Pacers lost 115-114 at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday, according to the Indy Star's Nate Taylor. "I know I was pissed. It's the only to really sum it up."

George's 37 points went for naught, and Indiana's longest-tenured player said his teammates have to step up.

"We should have a professional approach, man, and defend our home court, especially to a team that’s not even in the playoffs," he said. "As a team, we’ve got to have grit and we've got to own up, man up ... there’s no urgency, no sense of urgency, no winning pride."

While coming from a place of frustration, the comments could sound alarm bells around the Pacers organization. Rumors have swirled that George wants the team to improve significantly before next season or he will likely leave as a free agent in the summer of 2018. While there's little that can be done to change the roster this season, it's clear the four-time All-Star has concerns.

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Indiana only scored two points in the final 3:19 of Wednesday's game, and the team's banged-up bench only produced nine points in the contest.

"When we lose focus here, I'm not sure where our head is going to be as a team tomorrow," George said. "I'll make sure to gather these guys around and let them understand, man, that we’ve got to win. That’s the only thing that’s important. The only thing that should be motivational is winning."