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words // Nick DePaula:
A dunk is worth two points. So, naturally, Paul George’s made field goal to close the 3rd quarter of 2013’s second game of the Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, well it tallied two more points for the Pacers, and gave them a simple 73-71 lead heading to the closing quarter.
As you know, a dunk can be so much more. It was the specific moment Paul George arrived. The specific moment he flipped the switch in his career and established himself as a rising star in the league, a franchise player here to stay.
“I just wanted to be aggressive off the bounce,” George told reporters after the game. “I seen an opportunity to attack, while Birdman wasn’t set yet.”
Attack he did. By driving left past his emerging rival in LeBron James, George cleared for takeoff from the key, rose above Birdman Birdman, and detonated what was unmistakably the dunk of the playoffs.
Some dunks are iconic singular posters. This was different — there are literally a handful of poster angles from that baptism, depending on your preference.
It was the Lunar Hyperdunk that George had been carrying all through the Playoffs in an array of PE flavors as he similarly carried the Pacers to his first Conference Finals, in just his third season. The obsidian upper, gradient fading Lunar midsole and bright yellow accents let him stand out all postseason, none more than during Game 2. George closed the game with 22 points, six assists, and his greatest dunk to date, while the Pacers evened the series at one apiece against the then-heavily favored Miami Heat.
Ever since, there was no doubt that Paul George was ready for the playoff stage.
You can vote for PG’s Lunar Hyperdunk PE in our playoff-themed Flip The Switch Bracket, crowning the Best Nike Basketball Sneaker of the modern era.
