Paul George struggled for damn near 48 minutes as boos crashed down all around him. Oklahoma City fans know all about hostile environments, and this game wasn’t quite Kevin Durant’s homecoming. But right or wrong, George spent several hours in front of a Pacers crowd that used to lift him up no matter what. And they made themselves loud and clear: They don’t anymore.
The Pacers even picked this game to honor franchise legends, and George was nowhere to be seen.
George scored only two points in the fourth quarter and had a steal. It all happened, of course, with 10 seconds left on the game clock as the Thunder put the game away for good. The two points were two free throws at the line. For someone who scored 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting, it was an anticlimactic finish. But it was enough for George to make his own gesture to the crowd.
“Give it up already,” his shushing finger seemed to indicate.
George had worn bright yellow-gold kicks during the game, strobe lights that could be seen from anywhere on the screen. And he certainly seemed to play up the villain role — in all black, mind you — after the game.
Paul George on defending #Pacers Oladipo on the last play---> 'Ballgame!' <slams the table> pic.twitter.com/vO0GRt3vnO
— Clark Wade (@ClarkWade34) December 14, 2017
But George also said he “didn’t remember” the shushing motion headed back to the Thunder bench. His villain part about Victor Oladipo ... kind of didn’t make sense? It was actually just a very normal basketball player answer, disguised between a rhetorical question, a tiny little fist pound on the table, and George abruptly cutting short the press conference afterward.
Indiana was always going to boo and heckle George in his first game back, even as George tried to apologize for the way he left town.
"I think both sides, myself and the front office, would definitely like to have handled things better,” George admitted earlier Wednesday. “I for sure will take ownership on that. But I have no regrets on the outcome."
Given all that, George’s villain role felt half-hearted. He did it because he had to, because Indiana’s fan base wants him to be one. George still loves Indiana, even if he didn’t want to play there. It’s hard to hate a place where you spent seven years and accumulated so many good memories. But the Pacers forgot, and they expected George to act the part. He tried, and yet everything he did still subtly indicated that he wasn’t cut out for this.
The George kicks mentioned above
They’re great shoes, but they also don’t match with a single color of Oklahoma City’s uniform. This has to be on purpose ... and to me, it seems more of an olive branch than an insult. “Hey, I still remember all the good times,” not, “Screw y’all, don’t you miss me?’ But it’s impossible to read tea leaves this vague with any certainty.
George also only had love for his Indiana teammates afterward, for what it’s worth.
Respect! #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/uDbgmWbS2u
— NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2017
More coverage of George’s return
- How Indiana fans fell in and our of love with George.
- Pacers fans have almost forgotten George due to Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
- PODCAST: The Pacers are neither bad nor boring. Shoutout Kevin Pritchard!
- Wednesday was an ugly, necessary win for Oklahoma City.
- We really should be calling this the Oladipo trade.
How do you stop the Rockets?
Houston is 11-0 since Chris Paul returned (and 12-0 with him in a Rockets uniform, mind you).
Eleven Straight Wins! #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/WzpTJh6bos
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 14, 2017
How they won their 11th straight game, in the ESPN nightcap after George’s return, was just as impressive. With 4:43 left in the first quarter, Charlotte actually led 19-13. By the 10 minute mark in the second quarter, Houston had taken the lead, 49-25.
Houston outscored Charlotte by 32 points in seven minutes. They went on a 25-point unanswered run! They outscored the Hornets, 36-4, over that entire duration, until Jeremy Lamb free throws finally broke that stretch. They even had Paul hitting shots like this.
James Harden is out there having the time of his life. pic.twitter.com/jU2KQs0BMP
— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2017
It appeared the Luc Richard Mbah a Moute could miss some time with a shoulder injury suffered in the first half, but Houston can survive. They are a scary team that features more defense, twice as many elite ball-handers as last season, and the same amount of shooting and rim running. They create offense from 30 feet away from the basket, and then burn you by getting within three feet. It’s a mesmerizing show, and there’s a reason that Houston has the best record in the league so far.
Gary Harris went off! (But sadly to no avail.)
Gary Harris sets a new career-high with 36 points for @nuggets! pic.twitter.com/4Bqndd93Ul
— NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2017
Some of these moves are just sensational. Harris finished with 36 points on 16-of-25 shooting and six assists. Of course, Denver still fell to Boston by six points. But the Nuggets remain without Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, and Will Barton — players they badly need back.
Two more things from Wednesday
- Joel Embiid roasted Karl-Anthony Towns on Instagram. They’re friends, so we’re assuming this was all fun and games!
- Jameer Nelson passed out of a wide-open layup because Giannis Antetokounmpo spooked him, and it was amazingly the right play.
Wednesday’s final scores
Clippers 106, Magic 95 (Clips Nation recap | Orlando Pinstriped Post recap)
Wizards 93, Grizzlies 87 (Bullets Forever recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)
Thunder 100, Pacers 95 (Welcome to Loud City recap | Indy Cornrows recap)
Celtics 124, Nuggets 118 (Celtics Blog recap | Denver Stiffs recap)
Trail Blazers 102, Heat 95 (Blazer’s Edge recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap)
Pelicans 115, Bucks 108 (The Bird Writes recap | Brew Hoop recap)
Bulls 103, Jazz 100 (Blog a Bull recap | SLC Dunk recap)
Raptors 115, Suns 109 (Raptors HQ recap | Bright Side of the Sun recap)
Rockets 108, Hornets 96 (The Dream Shake recap | At the Hive recap)