Indiana Pacers may have been eliminated in their seventh game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but their strong performances have caused amazement. Victor Oladipo had a few words for the doubters at the subsequent press conference.
“If you don’t respect the Indiana Pacers now, I have no respect for you,” said the All-Star. “That’s just the way I see it. Nobody thought we’d be here – not a single person – just us in the Locker Room. “I think we have earned the respect of all people now.”
Oladipo continued seamlessly with his strong Regular Season, which could bring him the Most Improved Player Award. Against the Cavs he scored 22.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
In games 3-5 he had to fight with bad odds, but he also wants to channel this experience directly again. A few minutes after game 7, he sent a message to his personal trainer David Alexander that he wanted to train harder, which he published on Instagram.
“I don’t know how to take time off. When someone tells me to take a break and enjoy my life, I can only say that this is my life,” said Oladipo. “I think I still have a lot of room to move up. So this summer I’m going back to work so I can be even better next season.”
Nevertheless, he is proud of his team, which was still clearly classified as a lottery team by experts before the season due to the Paul George trade. “No one thought we would make it this far. If I had told you that in October, you would have thought I was crazy,” Oladipo said.