Paul George's return to Indiana wasn't pretty, but in walking away from his old stomping grounds with a much-needed win the former Pacer gets to head back to Oklahoma City with a sense of closure in regards [for himself] to his unpopular departure from the team that drafted him in 2010.
Hours prior to tip-off, George proved to have a modest outlook on how things have been going for the Pacers, whose 16-11 record exceeds that of the 13-14 Thunder in the wins column. He told reporters that seeing things go well to the benefit of fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse has provided "closure" for him.
As soon as George was introduced to the court, however, he learned that those who used to root him on don't bear the same concern for his success. George was received with a chorus of boos that echoed through the arena. It was a reminder of the betrayal they felt that he would select to leave the organization behind for his own self-interests.
Whether or not the jeers may have impacted George's performance, one can never be sure. What is for certain is that he played a poor game, putting up 12 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists, on a night in which he shot 3-of-14 from the field and coughed up four turnovers. And George's star teammates didn't do much better, with Anthony also putting up 12 points behind a poor shooting performance and Westbrook shooting 3-of-17, albeit collecting his ninth triple-double of the season.
Regardless of individual stats, though, OKC finished the game on outdueling Indiana by a 100-95 score, and that was enough to silence the crowd, above all.
Source: YouTube
