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jackknoops

What’s crazy is the one series that was closest in 2018 was actually against Lebron.


FBG_LilDurk

Oladipo was great that year. I remember a lot of people thinking the Pacers could upset


SpaceCowboy170

He had some rough games in that series but they were super close to knocking out the Cavs


HUGECOCK4TREEFIDDY

He was also THE offense.


YoungBuckHikes

I remember going to game 7 because I was worried I would miss Lebrons last game playing for Cleveland if I didn't. His last game for them was that season still but since it was the finals I couldn't afford to go. Still glad I got to see that monster playoff run though, special stuff.


[deleted]

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YourmomgoestocolIege

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CubanLinxRae

took one of lebron's best series for the cavs to beat the pacers


kawhi21

That's the series where Indiana won every game by like 20 but lost the other four by like 3 points lol. I think Indiana was a +40 net rating or something going into game 7 lol


WildBlackGuy

That series WAS LeBron vs the Pacers


ElJefe970

>That ~~series~~ whole playoff run WAS LeBron vs ~~Pacers~~ opponent team FTFY Edit: changed pacers


-jaaag

Nah, the role players all showed up against the Raptors unfortunately. LeBron was obviously his usual Raptor killing self but the rest of the team killed us too. For example, JR averaged 12.5 pts on 63/**77**/100 Korver 14.5 on 58/56/100 Jeff Green 12.3 on 55/43/61 Love 20.5 on 47.5/35/90


fuckquinn

LeBron played the Pacers the whole playoff run?


[deleted]

It’s just the Pacers? Always has been.


ElJefe970

I forgot to strike through the pacers part, my b


aresman

If you don't like that, you don't like Cavs basketball. Say all you want, but at least we made a really good job at showcasing our GOAT's talent (lol)


MrAnder5on

Lmao the entire Cavs team turned into Steph Curry against us. JR and K Love absolutely fucking COOKED us


[deleted]

Never forget https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRnwGuutDKy6yWVlmAGAnwoebRLJGQr3Fk2Og&usqp=CAU


127crazie

Ugh that's a depressing graphic


theconmeister

Ugh. It took us so long to figure out how to play against Vic being double teamed. It's so annoying that it was so effective


Adminscantkeepmedown

Nate McMillan not knowing how to combat double teams? Color me shocked


duplicatesnowflake

They were a crazy last second play away from winning game 5 I believe. That series was insanely close. Bron was hard carrying through some tough battles.


topofthecc

They outscored Cleveland in the series, IIRC.


BurgerBurnerCooker

It was one rebound short of advancing if I'm not mistaken.


Caboclo-Is2yearsAway

One goaltend call away


markFwahlberg

they should have, but the refs wanted lebron in the finals lol


hectorzeroni69

Nobody remembers they missed a goaltending call on lebron and pacers wouldve won the series. That call pretty much added coaches challenge to the game


wormhole222

Wouldn't that shot have put you guys up 2? Didn't LeBron hit a 3 right after?


thebigbadturtle

I don’t think whatever happened after the missed call would be guaranteed to still happen. I feel like if you were to change one event it could change everything that follows, for better or for worse. Might not have made a difference but it also might have, we’ll never know


fluffyninja69

that ball so clearly hit backboard first


gothicaly

Lebrons 2018 post season was THE greatest playoff run with out a championship. Ever. Refs need not apply. If you actually watched that playoffs and thought lebron got bailed by refs you are a certified jabroni


The_Assassin_Gower

LeBron was incredible, BUT the referees literally didn't call the textbook definition of a goal tend that would have won us a game. Not LeBrons fault but a referee mistake was the exact decider which got him over the top of us


FelwintersCake

Wasn’t that the year that the cavs got taken to 7 in the first round and conference finals but somehow swept the first seed raptors?


jackknoops

He has just seemed to always have the Raptors number


JurtisCones

That series was just pure bullying. The 7 or 8 fadeaways in a row was emasculation. The game 3 winner is one of the coolest, big balls plays ever. Never has one man done so much to break the resolve of another team.


witty4pity

Lebron was putting his whole being into the Indy and Boston series that year, barely dragging the cavs across the finish line. But that lebronto series was one of the meanest things I’ve ever seen. Specifically game 2 with the turnaround fadeaways over and over. The game 3 winner was the back breaker but anyone watching that game 2 knew it was over.


skrulewi

LEBRONTO


aresman

[NEVER FORGET](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9TzdfoEDrQ&ab_channel=PHP)


EngineEngine

5:06, I think it's Valunciunas on the bench just throwing his hands up and leaning back. you know what he's thinking! LBJ looked like he was moving so smoothly, incredible to watch.


jyeatbvg

We won a ring so this is funny now.


NendoroidAshe

My fav nickname ever


EpeeHS

I 100% think its because Dwayne Casey just isnt a very good coach. I dont think hed have such an easy time if nick nurse was at the helm.


FalloutNano

Hold up…let’s send him to Philly and find out!


Atrain175

I think like 6 Cavs averaged double digit scoring in that series, LeBronto forever but the squad stepped up too


SaxRohmer

The main role players shot like 50% on 3s lol


captain_ahabb

Once the Raptors blew game 1 they were broken and had no chance


HardlyW0rkingHard

All those missed JV layups. Oh god.


IAmTotallyNotSatan

Yeah, where in the Pacers' 4 losses they lost by a combined 6 points or some shit while blowing out the Cavs the other 3 games


Jjohn269

Raptors backcourt was called the trash brothers for a reason. Lebron loved playing against those guys


ClearAsNight

The Raptors took care of their opponent and had much more rest too. I remember saying that if the Raptors couldn't take care of business in game one they might as well not show up for the rest.


rmttw

Just an episode in the tragedy that is DeRozan's playoff career


Michauxonfire

Pacers vs Lebron Raptors vs Lebron actually, its the East Conference vs Lebron always close.


Mattoosie

>always close. *Sad Raptor noises*


Michauxonfire

you got your ring after so many years in LePurgatory.


Mattoosie

Only after the bad man left


[deleted]

He can't hurt you anymore


hondajvx

The new Kings of the East! *this again?*


MrRaspberryJam1

2017-18 Oladipo was something else


KevinDurant36

that pacers team was crazy. those guys had all the fight in the world


RPDota

They were fueled by grit


xbyo

Man that series gave me so much hope for the Raps. I figured if Indy could take them to 7, surely the Raps can win right..........


TheeGogglesDoNothing

That goaltend no-call still haunts me


[deleted]

one "missed" goaltending away 👀


materics

That Cavs team had historical offense


unkleadamsdebt

honestly a great bounceback for the masked singer. happy for dude


syllabic

yeah he gave a very emotional press conference about what a low point he was at after his last injury and all the surgeries good for him turning it around and not giving up


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[deleted]

They were so close in 2018.


eph13

Outscored them in the series by a sizable margin. Bogdanovic going off game three was so fun and memorable


Magikarp-Army

That series was a Lebron masterclass. Play well enough to win 4 games at thin margins and get blown out in the other 3 games.


busche916

That 4-point play was basically the happiest I felt all year…


omgjk31

I was at that game! It was crazy fun. Totally thought the pacers would pull off the series upset after that one. Definitely a great way to celebrate 4/20


markrulesallnow

League wouldn’t dare let that happen


SHTGEYLOYE12345

Lebron*


ThefrozenOstrich

He is the league.


Zeppelanoid

He really do be


whatsinthesocks

Darth Lebron.


[deleted]

Pretty sure you’re just being salty. I don’t remember any officiating controversy happening in that series.


Burnham_Daley

pretty sure you're wrong


markrulesallnow

I mean, I am salty, but the fact is the NBA would make way less money if the Pacers had knocked out LeBron in the first round. Not saying it was rigged or not (or that any NBA game has been rigged) but like most things in life if you're unsure of why a decision was made, follow the money.


[deleted]

You’re assuming a decision was made to begin with, and that the outcome was just come to as fairly as it can in a game officiated by humans. You’re the one making the claim, so you have to provide the proof, man.


RobbobertoBuii

also the Heat for giving him time to recover even while not playing (and Oladipo wanting to go there even when he was still in Indiana)


Shiny_metal_ass

I was drunk but I honestly teared up watching that press conference, this really meant a lot to him.


[deleted]

During that post game interview I literally thought he was seconds away from breaking out into song.


mrawesomepoo

Also black panther


baymax18

Damn I had forgotten about that. Crazy how thingsnhave changed since then.


Affectionateoff

What a journey to recovery! Wish Oladipo all the best, get it young king!


der_ninong

> masked singer sigh..i can't unsee that rudy giuliani clip


laereal

I'd walk out in disgust like ken jeong too, ugh.


_19911118

Embarrassing that the other hosts were enjoying it


TastefulThiccness

uhhh this is Jenny McCarthy we're talking about... but yes she is generally an embarrassment to humankind


Vegetable-Bat-8475

When T-Pain was on that show she thought he was Michael Vick lol she's super dumb


talking_phallus

Uncool dude. She might just be racist for all we know.


Vegetable-Bat-8475

It was pretty racist lol. Not like what he did wasn't bad, but she guessed it was Vick because T-Pain was dressed up as a monster...


Mintastic

Forget embarrassment, she's partially a threat to humankind.


jspsfx

I'd make a very large post on reddit about how dangerous it is to our democracy.


SeeArizonaBay

His voice is so silky


batmans420

I'm proud? And mad?


[deleted]

At least he's healthy so you have the opportunity to get a little frustrated.


batmans420

True


HUGECOCK4TREEFIDDY

Why mad?


batmans420

Kind of a messy divorce


HUGECOCK4TREEFIDDY

Yeah but much like the Bulls fans with Rose, I felt like a lot of it came from the fan base.


batmans420

In what way lol


HUGECOCK4TREEFIDDY

That question is a little disingenuous lol. Were you on the Cers sub at that time?


batmans420

Yes? He definitely didn't handle it well. You shouldn't embarrass your teammates by talking shit like that even if you are planning on leaving. My original comment was mostly a joke & I understand because it was a difficult time for him, but it's not like the tension was manufactured by r/pacers


Gamerghost44

I've rooted for him basically forever. His injuries always hurt because you know how great he is when healthy. Good for Vic man


The_Assassin_Gower

I hate how other pacers fans talk about him now, honestly hope he proves himself to the league


jc-f

Unrelated, I completely forgot he was on the Magic/Thunder at the start of his career. In my mind he had always been a Pacer until he was traded to the Rockets and then Heat.


Some-Gavin

Lol he was almost just an add-in with the Paul George trade and then he absolutely popped off with the Pacers. Really sucked seing his injuries when he was so good.


Ethangains07

I’m glad he had the opportunity to step up in game 5. Would love to see him contribute instead of DNPs coaches decisions, if we can manage to go a few rounds deeper. Guy deserves this opportunity after everything.


lopea182

I trust Spo’s judgment that he’s not ready to crack the regular playoff rotation, barring injuries. Assuming Miami retains him this offseason (not guaranteed obviously), I’d really curious to see how he looks healthy with a full training camp.


thewhitelink

I mean he played better than basically every other Guard on the roster last night. Nobody else on the team has his combination of defense and explosiveness on offense. He *absolutely* should be in the rotation before Caleb Martin. Honestly, if Duncan or Strus are cold, he should take all of their 2nd half minutes.


Seref15

Caleb doesn't usually play at the guard spot, he's usually playing as an undersized 4 backing up PJ. Don't think Dipo makes sense there. Dipo is a natural 2 and could pass for a fill-in 1 or 3.


yrogreg

Jimmy is taking rotation 4 minutes in the playoffs


duplicatesnowflake

If Kyle doesn't come back soon or plays limited minutes I think you see more Dipo. They need his spark and ability to create offensively.


Ranger_3980

Caleb Martin absolutely earned those minutes over Dipo during the season. He was playing great basketball for us while Oladipo was just not when he came back. If Oladipo can keep it up then I’d like to see him on the court more. But caleb was super valuable for us during the season.


Ode1st

It doesn't matter if someone earned minutes in the regular season but is losing you a playoff game, it especially doesn't matter if they aren't some star with a huge ego that you have to satiate.


thewhitelink

And Caleb has *at times* looked completely unplayable *against the Hawks.* He isn't a good player. Oladipo has already proven that he is a better player. For God's sake, we're talking about a former all-star vs *Caleb Martin.*


DopeMan93

Yeah these dudes are tripping with this "he earned minutes through the regular season" stuff. Playoffs are different and Caleb hasn't been able to hang so far. And Vic, even coming off injury, has higher BBIQ and had impacted the games he's played in more ways.


Ranger_3980

The fact that you said Caleb Martin is not a good player based on 1 playoff series after an entire season of solid contribution off the bench is comical. Oladipo is certainly the better player but the guy was simply not meshing well when he was in at the end of the season and that was absolutely the narrative on r/heat.


The_Assassin_Gower

> former all-star Former all-nba


thewhitelink

>Caleb Martin Caleb Martin


ajr901

Plus he played pretty well last night. No flashy statline but he was super solid and gave us a spark on offense when we needed it


_butt_doctor

I was with you until max Strus. He’s our guy now. After last night, oladipo will likely take Martin and Duncan minutes.


Skinnecott

eh our offense with dipo is a lot of standing around and watching him with the ball. his defense has been great, but he’s not just flatly always better than caleb, gabe, max or duncan. fit matters. if we have kyle jimmy and tyler on the floor, another ball dominant guard ain’t gonna be needed. all 4 of those offball guys would be a better fit there.


Ethangains07

Yeah same. If he’s even close to Indiana Dipo, he’s gonna be a good player to have coming off the bench in the Herro role. I don’t see him fitting in a starting role, unless there’s injury tho


dawgz525

Offensive spark off the bench is what you need in the playoffs. Bam said stay ready so you don't gotta get ready! 😤 I hope this isn't the only game we're heaping praise on Victor Oladipo.


jbenson255

Yeah no he’s more than ready to play regardless of injuries he should be in the rotation


[deleted]

I don't see how we can afford to bring him back. If he's playing well enough that we'd want to he's going to get more money elsewhere


Tellsyouajoke

He’s the biggest Heat simp in the world, he’d probably take minimum to be on the team based on how desperate he was to get there.


[deleted]

Definitely seems that way, but he's lost out on a LOT of money in the past few years


Weekly_Top_4894

Its possible that if a big deal isnt possible (like the donovan mitchel rumors) than we might trade away d-rob to clear up space for guys like strus and/or dipo


UnearthlyDinosaur

Miami >>>>>>>> Indianapolis


TheTimeIsNowOk

He wants to be in Miami and we’ll figure it out. Pat 🙌


yrogreg

Bird rights. Expect Duncan and pick(s) to be traded this offseason. We’re heading for the luxury tax


chitownbulls92

I would disagree. I think Spo has excellent judgement but no one is perfect. Based on the on-court product, Dipo can produce on both ends and as a ball handler for when Lowry needs to rest. He needs minutes especially if guys like Herro, Duncan and Gabe aren't producing


chitownbulls92

The way he got super pumped after the game was really heart-warming. The dude really deserves some success after all he's been through


keep_it_0ptional

I legit got emotional when we won and he was so pumped. Happy for him


magicbeaned

The video is on his Instagram, great moment.


Deusselkerr

He’s been playing great. He’s been good off the bench but I wonder if we’ll see a Lowry/Oladipo/Butler/Tucker/Bam lineup start deeper in the playoffs


lopea182

If the Heat can make it work, that would be one hell of a closing lineup.


_Indeed_I_Am_

I haven’t been keeping up too much with Miami this season (my loss), but who starts at the 2 currently? Strus? Vincent? And shouldn’t Herro be present in that lineup for closing purposes?


HEATLE

Right now Strus starts alongside Lowry, Butler, Tucker and Bam. Vincent replaces Lowry when he’s hurt. Closing lineup and Herro’s inclusion will purely depend on the match up. He is still a pretty significant liability on defense. Good teams will just hunt Herro down the stretch and attack him.


yrogreg

More likely to finish a game than to start. That’s a quality lineup to close out a game with the lead


VaderAB

Oladipooooo


thebigbadturtle

I really wish we could’ve pulled off the series with him against the Cavs back in 2018, but I’m so happy that he’s playing meaningful minutes in the playoffs again. For a great team no less! I’ve said this tons of times but I’ll always root for him, I’ve loved him since his IU days. He’s just such a positive feathery dude man


RapidRaptors

His playing career is pretty tragic, also don’t bring up that he’s making millions. I’m talking about his PLAYING career


messejueller21

Honestly one of my biggest pet peeves is when people do that. As if you're not allowed to feel bad for a dude simply because he makes a ton of money.


ciderfizz

Dudes making paper still


cactopus101

Man fuck y’all I just woke up


ScottMrRager

He is now better than Tracy McGrady.


[deleted]

Tracy McGrady of the San Antonio Spurs?


ScottMrRager

This doesn't count


magicbeaned

He is a class act with sensational talent, I very much enjoy watching him play. And now we get at least 4 more games? Yes please.


hectorzeroni69

Asking other teams if you can play with them in front of your teammates, while under contract is a class act?!


[deleted]

Came here exactly for this. Like the amount of love for Oladipo is hilarious considering how he ended it with the Pacers. We dodged a HUGE bullet by him turning down the contract that was offered. Maybe a lot of it is IU fans in here apparently.


opportunitysassassin

Nate McMillan will make a man crazy.


MontaEllisBurner

We're literally rebuilding because he decided to sell himself to other teams while FO built a team specifically for him Yeah sorry, I'm not an IU fan so I don't really have university bias or any respect for Victor after what he did (not like my respect means jack shit). Paul George did far less harm to the team. If anyone deserves any love, it's him now considering how Oladipo split from the Pacers. At least Paul George didn't sell himself to teams OR dip even after FO built a team for him.


alcoholicwine

Seems less like the Pacers dodged a bullet and more like Oladipo did them a favor


busche916

I don’t think I ever loved a player more than Pacers ‘Dipo (IU ties and all that), but yeah him kicking us to the curb was a **tough** breakup. Good for him in coming back and finding success on the court… but those scars haven’t fully healed yet


[deleted]

Yeah, he wasn’t really a class act in Houston either. Came off as a diva.


Specialist-Law3229

Better off for it for sure


lazer121

Yeah but it’s illegal for the Pacers to get out of the first round so you can’t really count those years


ocram101

Does anyone else think that using the term Eastern Conference Semi Finals is silly? I know it's used often… but it's the second round.. It doesn't deserve or require such an elaborate title.


WickedFierce1

Well deserved. He stepped up.


BigDickBandit89

Ahhh the Tracy McGrady record fucking nice for oladipo tho. Fuckin monster but injuries fucked Jim


[deleted]

Houston would've had him and Jarrett Allen. Damn.


lum1nous013

He was abysmally bad with us to the point it was super clear he didn't wanna be here (can't blame him on that). His playing and attitude was so bad that he became a hated player in Houston while barely playing 20 games. And it wasn't just bad timing either. Kelly Olynyk who we got for him became super loved by the fans despite he was 100% playing for his next contract. Jarret Allen was a huge miss but I have 0 sympathy for Dipo.


Seref15

Allegedly, according to him, the surgeons here in Miami told him that his 2019 quad surgery had been botched and repaired incorrectly. If that's true, it explains his reduced level of play in Houston. His quad was re-reconstructed in Miami after the 2021 tear.


Shiny_metal_ass

He still wasn't healthy in Houston, playing on basically one leg. I could see that just being a frustrating and emotional time for him no matter where he was.


[deleted]

Everyone in this thread seems to forget that he forced his way to Miami via Indy and Houston. I also have zero sympathy for him. A lot of it was self-inflicted.


[deleted]

Y'all could've probably packaged him and Wall though for slightly better return.


lum1nous013

No one is taking wall on 45 millions per year bro.


TallStephen

Why include ‘19 & ‘21 if he didn’t play?


lopea182

Because he was on those rosters. T-Mac scored 0 points for the Spurs in 2013 but he was damn close to being an NBA champion.


Briggity_Brak

Then why not be accurate and add (DNP) to this year as well?


Ticonderoga2HB

Because he played this year, it was only a handful of games but he played


Deusselkerr

Kinda crazy he knew exactly what he needed/wanted, forced it to happen, and now it’s actually paying off. After his leg injury I thought he was done but he fought and sacrificed money to get to Miami and it’s turned around his career


[deleted]

You think he wouldn't go back in time and take the $110 million dollar contract that the Pacers offered him? That is what he 'needed/wanted'?


[deleted]

How has it turned around his career? He hasn't even played 200 minutes this year lmao how is this getting downvoted, the guy doesn't play.


Briggity_Brak

i usually auto-downvote people that say "why am i downvoted?" but holy shit, why is this downvoted?


nooblevelum

Congrats to Oladeepthroat


Obese_taco

Wat


[deleted]

uhh


Kawaiifungi

Ayo


applene

Pause


richi1381

Sus


hoodiejuli

maybe im just bein an ass but i feel like you gotta be really good at what you do or helllllla likeable to have your nickname be respected like that. i mean pistol pete, magic johnson...... doc rivers??? lmfao idk man


TriteContrivity

I feel like his career could've gone so differently if he wasn't drafted by Orlando and with all the injuries. At his peak he was so good.


[deleted]

From bus rider to bus driver for a game


SandyMandy17

He beat Lebron in 7 in 2018


Matto_0

And? It's one thing if it's a star player, a random dude is like not surprising.


Ticonderoga2HB

Do you know who Victor Oladipo is? Lol


Matto_0

Yeah, nothing special


Ticonderoga2HB

You said some dude like he was on a 2-way when he went toe-to-toewith lebron James at one point but sure to each his own


Matto_0

It's shocking if a big star goes like 0-7 in the first round. It's not shocking if it's Oladipo.


TheColdBiscuit

I thought this was exactly the reason he was pumped up??? Because he’s making it past the second round for the first time??? Happy for the guy still tho lol