Paul George on the Cavs: 'This team doesn't really scare us'

After dropping a close one to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, Indiana Pacers star Paul George said that he and his teammates aren't afraid of the 6-1 Cavs.

“I think we match up well against this team,” George told the media, according to CBS Cleveland. “This team doesn’t really scare us.”

Despite the confident assertion, the Cavs were without Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith. Still, George -- who scored a game-high 32 points -- wasn't too concerned about that, especially because the Pacers were without Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles themselves.

“They’ve been together for some time now,” George said. “We’re still just forming and still learning each other despite going on a three-game winning streak. This was a tough matchup for us with a team that’s well in sync, so I think this is definitely a positive for us going forward.”

George's adversary, LeBron James, scored 29 points and led the Cavs to their sixth straight win. 

Though George and James were rivals when James' Miami Heat battled George's Pacers in two consecutive Eastern Conference finals, the two have maintained a friendship since those battles.

“He’s so talented, man,” James said of George, according to CBS Cleveland. “And his ability to shoot the ball and handle the ball and make mid-range shots [is special]. He’s very talented… When he hurt himself I was like very hurt for him. I said I can’t wait to get back and compete against him. I had so many battles with him in the postseason when I was in Miami. Now that we’re in the same division, we’re going to have some more. It’s great to see where he’s at.”