George believes Pacers can challenge Cavs in East

There's little doubt that, if healthy, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the class of the Eastern Conference. Teams like the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics will stake their claims, but until the Cavs are unseated, the perch is theirs.

But Paul George says don't count out his Indiana Pacers.

"Honestly, I look at us challenging them. I've been in the East and I've been No. 1 with LeBron being on a team," George told The Vertical's Michael Lee, referring to the 2013-14 season when the Pacers finished first in the East ahead of James' Miami Heat (Indiana lost to Miami in six games in the conference finals).

"Really, what I'm looking at is it coming down to me getting us past the conference finals ... I'm confident in myself. I'm confident in what I can do."

That George is so confident two years removed from his devastating leg injury is remarkable. In his first full season back in action in 2015-16, he missed only one game, averaging a career-high 23.1 points per game.

Whether the Pacers as a whole are ready to take the step into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference is another question. Nate McMillan takes over as coach for the fired Frank Vogel, and while they're not All-Stars, they will need full contributions from newcomers like Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and Al Jefferson - not to mention further development from young center Myles Turner.