This was getting uglier by the minute, heading nowhere fast, threatening to unleash howls of discontent.
The Pacers had let a 16-point first-quarter lead dissolve to a one-point deficit in the final two minutes, and were in danger of dropping a home game to a bunch of ornery kids wearing purple uniforms – a loss that would have left them with a 1-3 record and all sorts of demands to explain themselves.
Fortunately for the Pacers, they had the only All-Star, the only Olympic gold medalist, on the floor. And Paul George did what stars are supposed to do.