Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Obvious Gap

“Paul! Paul! Paul!”
In Indianapolis, at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the home crowd of the Pacers roared with unceasing cheers for their star player. Amid their jubilant cries, Paul George exchanged high-fives with his teammates before stepping up to the free-throw line.

The arena’s giant screen replayed the moment: Paul George, with his polished dribbling, left Michael Wu reeling, then drove to the basket in long, powerful strides. Wu, relentless in his pursuit, managed only to present George with an ideal chance to draw a foul—resulting in a flawless and-1 play.

“The gap is obvious. Michael still lacks experience facing someone like Paul George,” the commentator analyzed as George took his place at the line. “Last game, Michael managed to stop Russell Westbrook from getting a triple-double—a feat worth mentioning—but tonight, his performance has been far from ideal.”

“To be honest, he hasn’t even touched the ball on offense so far,” the other commentator added, shaking his head at Wu’s showing. “Perhaps Coach Frank Vogel needs to make some adjustments.”

While the commentators exchanged thoughts, Paul George calmly released his free throw. No suspense—the shot was good. George had completed a perfect three-point play at Wu’s expense.

As if following the commentators’ predictions, after George’s free throw, the Magic made a substitution. Coach Frank Vogel signaled for a change, and Aaron Gordon, standing at the scorer’s table, motioned to Wu—it was time to switch.

Noting his teammate’s gesture, Wu didn’t hesitate. He nodded, dropped his head, and walked back to the bench.

“Michael, don’t take it too hard. It’s not the end of the world,” Bismack Biyombo offered comfort as Wu sat down. “That’s Paul George out there. Just being matched up with him is something. If it were me, I’d be too nervous to stand straight!”

At first, seeing Coach Vogel put Wu in for Jeff Green, Biyombo had worried the young man might be overwhelmed by the opposing star on both ends of the floor. But then he remembered how many times Wu had faced doubt and always surprised everyone—maybe this time would be no different.

But reality proved otherwise. The gulf in ability was too much; Wu was suffocated by the star’s dominance, both on offense and defense.

“Give it a rest, Bismack. No need to sugarcoat it,” Wu replied after a moment, finally raising his head. “Truth be told, getting dominated out there really stings.”

“I thought I could at least get a stop, but I didn’t manage it once.”

“No, Michael—you did get a stop. Paul George missed a shot!” Biyombo hurried to add, seeing Wu’s discouragement.

“Come on, man. I’d barely even turned around when he took that shot. His miss had nothing to do with my defense,” Wu said helplessly. “That’s what a difference in level looks like.”

The gap between a top-20 player in the league and a second-round pick.

Wu now clearly understood the chasm separating him from the NBA’s elite. All his pregame bravado seemed laughable in hindsight.

With this realization, Wu took the towel from his teammate and wiped his brow, shifting his full attention back to the game. Though Coach Vogel hadn’t spoken to him since the substitution, Wu knew he’d let his coach down.

Vogel hadn’t put him in to simply be a target for Paul George.

As Wu watched George isolate once more, he also paid close attention to Aaron Gordon’s movements on defense. Against Gordon, George didn’t have nearly as much freedom as he’d enjoyed against Wu.

Wu needed to learn a few defensive tricks from Gordon.

Gordon wasn’t known for his defense, but his athleticism and agility made him serviceable. Yet George, having found his rhythm against Wu, was now in the kind of groove where offense outpaces defense—the only question being whether the shot would fall.

Tonight, George’s touch was sublime.

“Paul George against Aaron Gordon, pulls up just inside the free-throw line—got it!” the commentator exclaimed, his excitement barely contained. “Unbelievable—that’s already eleven points for Paul in the first quarter!”

Eleven points in a single quarter—George had completely taken over the latter half of the first, helping the Pacers, who’d been trailing, catch their breath. By the end of the period, the Pacers trailed the visitors 21 to 26, just five points behind.

When play resumed, Nate McMillan, mindful of stamina, rested George and sent out the second unit. The Magic answered with their own reserves.

But unlike before, Vogel didn’t send Wu back in, instead entrusting Jeff Green to lead the second unit.

Green didn’t disappoint. The former Thunder star attacked and shot his way to six points, battling the Pacers’ bench to a stalemate. The two teams found themselves deadlocked.

This balance, however, was quickly shattered. With George, Jeff Teague, and Monta Ellis returning to the floor, the Pacers’ offense grew relentless. The Magic lost the fire that had marked their start, and the tide began to turn.

Finally, with five and a half minutes left in the third, Monta Ellis drove to the rim, spinning home his signature layup, putting the Pacers ahead 73–72 over the visiting Orlando Magic.

From that moment, the Pacers seized control. Though Vogel called a timely timeout, it was too late—the disparity in strength was evident.

In the end, amid the wild cheers of their home crowd, Paul George finished with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, leading his team to a comeback victory on their home court.

“98 to 91—the Indiana Pacers pull off a hard-fought win at home!” the commentator announced with a sigh of relief as the final buzzer sounded. “A dramatic comeback—worth every penny for the fans.”

The Pacers fans’ ecstatic shouts drowned out the commentators, while Wu, silent and head down, was the first to return to the locker room.