8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

Paul George is now the opposition

By Dylan Hughes

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 8: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball down court against Melbourne United during the first half of a NBA preseason game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 8, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - OCTOBER 8: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball down court against Melbourne United during the first half of a NBA preseason game at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on October 8, 2017 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /
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The Indiana Pacers will be facing off against Paul George tonight, and that makes us sad.

It’s been a long almost-four-months since Paul George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since the night of the trade, it has been a hot topic in the NBA world. Whether it be discussing how the new-look Thunder will fare in the West, or criticism of the trade’s return to Indiana — Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. The names of these two teams have been in the mouths of pundits everywhere the past few months.

Now, for the first time ever, the Indiana Pacers will be facing off against Paul George as the team heads to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.

Indiana has moved on from George, but even if it is just for this night, memories will come rushing back.

Maybe it will be when the rookie George blocked reigning MVP Derrick Rose in the first round of the playoffs. Maybe it will be the dunk on Chris “Birdman” Andersen. Maybe it will be when he first stepped back onto the court after breaking his leg. Maybe it will be this epic duel with LeBron James back in April.

Whatever comes to mind, it will probably make you really sad.

And that’s OK.

George was Indiana’s homegrown superstar. He went from being a nobody from Fresno State, to Danny Granger’s sidekick, to one of the 15 best basketball players in the world. Losing that guy hurts.

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It’s going to hurt a lot more seeing him on the court wearing another team’s jersey. That’s what the Pacers will have to deal with tonight, however.

To make it hurt a little less, it would be nice to see the Pacers steal this game from the Thunder. Indiana is coming off a big 23-point road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nobody was expecting the Pacers to win that game — by that much — even with Jimmy Butler out.

Facing George, who essentially asked his way out of Indiana, will this feisty Pacers squad go into the loud house that is Chesapeake Energy Arena and snag a win?

We’ll have to see tonight. But whatever happens, it will be good to get this game out of the way early on. The team has already moved on, but there’s just something about facing the superstar you just traded away for the first time that hangs over your head. Of course, George’s return to Indiana — Dec. 13 — will be on the team’s and the fans’ minds going into it.

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But this game is a small hurdle for the franchise. It’s no different than any other game; they’ll get a win or a loss. But it’s a mental hurdle. Moving past this game will help the Pacers move on from the PG era and propel them into the new era–one that still needs to find its footing.

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