Talking Points of NBA Week 8
FOMO: Fear of missing out
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Cavs win streak snapped by Pacers; Oladipo steps up with clutch performance
Starting the season with a 5-7 record, the Cleveland Cavaliers won 13 straight to get back up to 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs juggernaut was stopped by the Indiana Pacers led by Victor Oladipo on Friday.
It was a well-contested game, but Indiana seemed to be always a step ahead of the Cavs. With the score at 97-100, Oladipo came up big to hit the dagger from three. He finished the game with 33 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl on 11-24 shooting from the field and went 6-13 from the three-point line.
Oladipo is a solid candidate for the Most Improved Player this season. Coming off a mediocre season at OKC, where the shooting guard averaged 15.9 points on 44% shooting, he's been electric for the Pacers. The alpha role was vacant after Paul George's departure to OKC, and Oladipo grabbed it with both hands. He's averaging 24.5 pts, 5.3 reb, 4.0 ast, 48.5% FG, 44.4% 3P FG through 26 games. He has 3 game winners and 4 30-pt games this season.
LeBron James averaged 27.2 points, 8.9 reb, 8.2 ast during the 13-game win streak and shot the ball lights out. His shooting numbers: 57.3% FG and 47.3% 3P FG. The narrative of the LeBron and Kyrie saga has taken a different turn and it is clear now that the King is just fine without Uncle Drew.