Stating My Case: Why Victor Oladipo is the NBA MVP

Photo by Tom Szczerbowski- USA Today

In my last post, I talked about the differences between the Pacers this year compared to the last two years-- specifically last year. I briefly went through the new acquisitions, stating why their play has made such a difference on the team. There was one particular player whose name I mentioned, but didn't go into detail on what he has brought to the team so far, and there was a reason for that.

The reason for that was I had a blog in mind specifically for him. No one on the Pacers team has been as productive, awe-inspiring, or surprising as Victor Oladipo, which is why you see the title in this post. Yeah, that's right, I said it. Now, I shall elaborate on why I'm stating my case for him as the 2017-18 NBA MVP.

When you think of an MVP (meaning Most Valuable Player) on a team, logically, one would come to mind who has made a significant impact on his team. Although it is a team game-- I can't emphasize that enough-- he is the primary reason that they're in the position they're in, whether it be for a championship, which is usually the situation, or why a team is a quiet storm that no one saw coming (and possibly move on to win a championship from there). However, I know this is a popularity contest, so more than likely your LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden will dominate the conversations of many.

Yes, these men make a significant impact on their respective teams year in, year out, but none of them as much as the Pacers' Victor Oladipo. For starters, they're (I believe) 1-5 without him, but I can go much further than that. Before I do that, I want to go back to the trade in July that brought Vic to Indiana, and what my thinking was at the time.

As I've mentioned before, initially, I was okay with the deal, and that was based on Victor's ability and (Domantas) Sabonis' potential. A second overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2013 draft, I heard of Vic's play in Orlando, but I saw more of him in Oklahoma City. At the time, I thought he was a pretty good second option, but not much more than that. It was said that although he's a pretty good player, he hasn't played up to his draft status. In retrospect, to be fair, he was never given the opportunity to showcase those skills, which brings me back to my case.

When the trade was made, one of my first thoughts was this is a grand opportunity for him to fully put those second-overall-pick skills on display, and like the rest of the team, he has exceeded my expectations. Whether he's hot or cold on game nights, he will contribute in other areas to help the team, he doesn't take plays off. He plays on both ends of the floor (a rare breed, nowadays). He's averaging 24 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 assists, and two steals per game, all MVP-caliber numbers, but it doesn't stop there.

Trading Places. Oladipo (left), Paul George (right). I'm so glad.

Even with his seemingly overnight stardom, and his willingness to put the team on his back, he has a team mentality. He trusts his teammates and makes the game easier for them, and doesn't make it all about himself. He wants to be here, and help turn this team into a formidable contender for years to come. To paraphrase a statement owner Herb Simon recently made, there's a major difference between someone who doesn't want to be here, and someone who wants to be here.

If he maintains the same team mentality and attitude, not letting the fan fare go to his head, becoming a "diva" like some of these effeminate "superstars" nowadays, and continue to elevate his game, not only do I believe he will be an MVP-caliber player for years to come, but will also be the one to lead the Pacers to their first NBA Championship.

Change of Pace: The Difference Between This Year's Team and Last Year's

Victor Oladipo (4), Darren Collison (2), Lance Stephenson (1), Myles Turner (33), Thaddeus Young (21), and Al Jefferson (25)

What's the difference between this year's Indiana Pacers team and last year's? It's quite simple, actually. They operate within the concept of team. In other words, they play as a team. I could end this blog right now with that, if I wanted to, but I will proceed. Actually, I could include the team from the year before last in this conversation as well. As a matter of fact, let's start there.

That year (2015-16), they had a go-to guy in All-Star Paul George, and a decent supporting cast, such as George Hill, Monta Ellis, who was on the downside of his career, but could still somewhat produce, (when he was healthy) Rodney Stuckey, and an up-and-coming, then-rookie, Myles Turner, who is still growing as a player.

They finished 42-40, 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. To be honest, I thought this team was good enough to make the playoffs, but I wasn't expecting them to make a lot of noise once there. They did give the Toronto Raptors a scare, extending the series to seven games against them, but Toronto advanced in the end, 4-3.

Ironically, the team they had last year had better players on paper, but the chemistry never materialized. They were by far the most disappointing Pacer team I've ever seen. Seeing the moves they were making, I thought they were built to contend with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, and just knew they would be in the top three in the conference last season, which shows you two things: one, there's no such thing as a sure thing, and two, there are some things money can't buy, and chemistry is one of them.

Then, of course, there was the ordeal over the summer with Paul George-- who was entering the final year of his contract-- wanting out of Indiana, which put them in a bind in terms of what they could do concerning him moving forward. After their sub-par at best season with all of that talent, I was frustrated and tired of the whole thing, and he (George) made it clear that it was time to go, and personally, I couldn't wait for the Pacers to execute a deal and get him the hell out of there.

Then...it happened. On July 6, 2017, Paul George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for SG/PG Victor Oladipo and C/F Domantas Sabonis. Now, I'm sure a lot of Pacers fans wanted Pacers' President Kevin Pritchard's head at the time, but I can honestly say I was not one of them. Sure, I felt that he could've gotten a little more-- a first round pick to go with Vic and Sabonis in particular-- but initially, based on Vic's talent and Sabonis' upside, I viewed it as an okay trade.

Along with pick-ups such as Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Cory Joseph-- maybe not "superstars," but they're nice foundational pieces to put around a franchise guy. I'll admit, Darren wasn't quite what I had in mind to play the point, but when healthy, he has been efficient (49.5 % FG, 43 % from 3 point range). He's averaging 5 assists, but to me, that's deplorable from the PG position. That's good if you're a shooting guard or a small forward, great if you're a power forward or a center, but I would expect more dimes from my point guard.

Nevertheless, his play has been a pleasant surprise, and part of the reason why Indiana has been doing better than expected. Bojan Bogdanovic's play has went under the radar; when they acquired him, I thought he would basically just drop back and fire threes/open two-pointers, but he has been creating his own shots off the dribble, creating plays for others when there's an opportunity, scoring on the low block occasionally, and I've seen him give some effort on defense.

I viewed Cory Joseph two ways: one of Indiana's worst nightmares when he played for the Raptors, and Nate McMillian's type of guard, a big guard who plays defense, although his offense is improving as well. As a Raptor, I remember when he would kill Indiana with that jumper above the key, and I'm glad he's brought that and more here.

Domantas Sabonis. Photo by David Richard- USA Today

Domantas Sabonis, the son of Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis, has also been very productive. Wow, I remember watching his dad play growing up, now I'm watching him play. Stuff like this makes me feel old, and I'm only in my 30s, but I digress. In a recent win against the Atlanta Hawks, he posted his 13th double-double of the season, and is averaging nearly a double-double for the year. This is part of the reason why I said I was okay with the trade. I liked his upside coming out of OKC; he got off to a good start, but (in my opinion) was cast by the wayside when the Thunder started making a push for the playoffs. He plays just like his dad with the inside/outside game, dexterity with the ball, and is good passer, but he's more nimble than his dad was.

These guys along with incumbents such as Thaddeus Young, Lance Stephenson, Glenn Robinson III, and Al Jefferson all have been the reasons for Indiana's success. Of course, Vic is a part of this success, but I didn't mention him in detail for a reason. He will be the subject of my next post. I've said this quite a few times this season, that although I felt the Pacers would surprise people, they have even exceeded my expectations of them, and this is the most proud, excited, and confident I've been of this team in a long time.

Ultimately, that's the difference between the team this year, and the team from last year. The one last year had better players, but this one has better chemistry, more fluidity, beautiful ball movement, etc., and I saw this from the first game of the season. It's hard to beat a squad that plays as a one.

Introduction and Origin

Welcome to my new blog page, Forever 31! I'm a die-hard Indiana Pacers fan; I've been rocking with them since, as you probably already know, the days of Reggie Miller. This is the reply or similar that I will give when people ask me why I'm a Pacers fan. Yes, I've been asked that before.

Anyway, on to the origin of this page, and why I chose the name, Forever 31. I originally launched it as a YouTube channel, but being that I don't make a lot of YouTube videos, plus I believe I'm a slightly better blogger than vlogger, I deleted my channel and created this brand new blog page, which I wanted to start on months ago, but nevertheless, here it is.

The name was actually inspired by the clothing store, Forever 21 and of course, Reggie Miller's uniform number when he played, hence the name, Forever 31. Getting to know the game of basketball in the early 90s, I started off admiring the shooters. At that time, if you could shoot, you were the guy to me, so it should come as no surprise to what drew me to Reggie Miller. Not saying he was just a "shooter," Reggie was a pure scorer who could create his own shot when needed, but the name of his game was ping-ponging off screen and picks, and shooting jumpers. Now, I pay more attention to the well-rounded players, but I digress.

I started following the Pacers during their playoff battle with the Celtics in the 90s, but what sealed it for me was the night when Reggie shot lights out in New York in the '94 playoffs. Rarely do you see anyone put on that type of shooting exhibition. For me, it was one of the greatest and craziest moments I've ever seen in basketball.

The 8 points in 9 seconds against-- who else?-- the Knicks the following year was crazy as well, but it pales in comparison to the scoring slaughter that night in Madison Square Garden. It was difficult watching them make early playoff exits after battles with New York, Chicago, and Orlando (during the Shaquille O'Neal era) particularly the first two, but they finally got the monkey off their back when they played the Los Angeles Lakers for the championship in the 2000 NBA Finals.

Unfortunately, they fell short, losing to the Lakers in six games, and haven't back there since. However, perhaps not this year, but I have a feeling they will see the big stage called the Finals again sometime in the upcoming future, which will be a subject for another blog. In conclusion, I wanted to give a quick overview of what's to come from Forever 31. This blog is going to cover my analysis and opinion of everything about the Indiana Pacers.