Paul George's resurgence with the Boston Celtics was already on display well before their blowout victory over the Philadelphia 76ers last night. However, not only did George get his revenge against his former team, but Jaylen Brown did pretty much the exact opposite.
It's debatable for sure, but you know who looked the best from last night's result? Brad Stevens.
Stevens has gotten so much flak for obvious reasons dating back to July. Many disagreed with his decision to trade Brown for George, as naysayers thought it was a lackluster return for someone coming off his best season, which culminated in some MVP votes.
However, what last night showed above all else is that Stevens knows what he's doing. George had maybe his best game of the season while Brown had his worst. George will definitely play worse, while Brown will definitely play better, but last night was good proof that Boston's process is simply better than Philadelphia's, with George playing a key role in that.
Brown is technically the better player, but George simply fits better with what Boston wants to do. Yes, he was hitting his threes, but he's always been an elite three-point shooter, so it's not like last night was a shocking result for him. You know what they say when life gives you lemons.
George also helps limit possessions for opponents with his elite defense, both by stopping the players he covers and forcing turnovers. The Sixers' strategy was to dare anyone not named Jayson Tatum to beat them, and, well, Boston and George obliged them.
This is what Stevens saw when he made the deal. He saw the chance to acquire the guy who swung the series against the Celtics last year and put him on the team. This is what George does, whether he puts up amazing numbers like last night or not.
If Boston keeps this up, Stevens may win EOTY again
The Celtics are 9-2 and have the NBA's best net rating. Best of all, despite what happened last night, it doesn't feel like they're firing on all cylinders. Mitchell Robinson is still a work in progress (at least he's not terrible, like he was earlier), and their three-point shooting is only just now starting to come around.
If they get better from here, it will be hard not to notice Stevens' fingerprints in creating this team. Not to take away from Joe Mazzulla at all. In fact, Stevens built a team constructed to fit Mazzulla's vision, but he also got rid of one of the best Celtics of this century, and the team may have gotten better.
Stevens has already won the award twice for his efforts. Almost every year, he's had to tweak the formula, whether to make the team better or to play by the CBA's rules, and every time, he's looked like the hoops genius many know him to be.
The fact that he bet right on George still being an elite player alone may be enough for him to win the triple-crown as an executive.
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