Paul George Hits a 3 to Send Game 1 of ECF into OT – May 22, 2013
A year after jumping out to a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals and surprising the Miami Heat, Indiana met their South Beach rivals in the playoffs again — this time in the Eastern Conference finals.
They were eager to prove themselves capable of dismantling mighty Miami.
The Pacers got right after it in Game 1, keeping the game close until late in the fourth quarter. With a little more than 20 seconds to go, Indiana had the ball and were down just 2 points. But as he was wont to do in those days, George threw the ball into the seats on a miscommunication, and the Pacers were forced to foul Ray Allen.
It seemed like the game was over.
Incredibly, however, Allen missed 1 of 2 freebies, giving PG another chance to be the hero and lift Indiana into overtime.
So, he did.
At the time, the shot was absolutely Paul’s biggest moment as a Pacer, and it gave him an immediate sense of redemption after practically disappearing during the conference semifinal matchup against Miami the year before. For George, that shot came from much deeper than 30 feet.
Despite PG’s best efforts (he had 27 in the game), Indiana went on to lose in overtime, and George found himself staring at the name on LeBron’s jersey as James blew past PG (and an infamously not-even-on-the-court Roy Hibbert) for the game-winning layup, stymying the Pacers’ attempt to steal Game 1 on the road.
Considering this felt like something of an arrival for Paul — or at least one of the first signs that he had “it” — it’s sort of ironic that the Pacers not only lost that game, but that George’s 30-foot buzzer-beater only remained his definitive highlight for a matter of days …
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