Pacers snap Cavs’ win streak on Oladipo’s clutch triple
Victor Oladipo continued his season-long coming out party against the reigning Eastern Conference Champions. The Cleveland Cavaliers threw different defensive looks at him all night, but they made no difference in the end as he delivered the final shot that put their 13-game winning streak to an end.
Only two nights ago, Oladipo sent the Chicago Bulls packing with a loss after nailing a late go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Pacers on top. Indiana’s surprise star was at it again on Friday night as he buried a pretty step-back jumper over Kevin Love from three-point territory to help to help his team defeat the Cavs 106-102.
Oladipo drained six threes for 33 points while also securing eight boards and five assists. The breakout star yet again performed at the highest level with the game on the line and has become an integral cog to the Pacers seventh place scoring offense.
At the outset of the Paul George trade that sent the superstar to the Oklahoma City Thunder, fans and experts alike feel that Indiana had been swindled in one of the worst one-sided deals in recent memory. A month into the season, and those same people are no longer wondering why the Pacers made the deal, but how on Earth Oladipo’s full potential stayed hidden for so long.
The Pacers have now strung together three straight wins of their own and won nine of their last 12 contests. They may have been swept at the hands of this same Cavaliers franchise in last year’s postseason, but they’re now the first team to beat Cleveland twice this year.
Cleveland’s streak ended at 13 games, but it’s a miracle they were able to put together such a run with so many players sidelined by injuries. Tristan Thompson, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert and Isaiah Thomas continued to ride the bench as they nurse their injuries, and in a way, it’s sort of a miracle they kept the game close with no depth behind their starting five.
LeBron has played some of the best basketball we’ve seen him play in his 15 year career, and a fair argument could be made that he’s the frontrunner for this year’s MVP Award. He’s made it clear time and time again that the personal hardware means nothing to him at this stage in his career, but should he add another MVP to his trophy case, he would tie his childhood idol Michael Jordan for MVP Awards won.
Rumor has it that Thomas will make his highly anticipated Cavaliers debut sooner than expected. While the Cavs are in no rush to expedite his recovery process at the expense of his long-term health, with the point guard position up in the air, they’ll be sure to welcome him to the court with open arms.
Thomas is a versatile offensive weapon and his passing skills should relieve LeBron of some of the playmaking burden that he’s been forced to shoulder. The Cavs are still second in their conference behind the Boston Celtics, but don’t expect that to last long if IT can make a return to full form.
LeBron James is still the best basketball player on planet Earth and the last time he had a scorer of Thomas’ caliber they made a run of three straight Finals appearances and even won a title. Keep in mind that LeBron has played in every NBA Finals series since 2011 and the picture begins to become clearer.
As long as James remain atop of the NBA totem poll, expect to see him in the Finals. James is a freak of nature, he keeps on getting older, but he’s picking up steam right when you’d expect him to start slowing down.
Haters have doubted The King for years and I’d assume they’ve lost a heft amount of sleep over his accomplishments. I’d love to say I told you so, but save yourself some sweat, don’t bet against Cleveland taking down the Celtics and Lebron’s former running mate Kyrie Irving when they inevitably meet in the Eastern Conference Finals at year’s end.
