How Pacers' Victor Oladipo is already moving past this Game 7 loss

The Indiana Pacers and star Victor Oladipo lost a heartbreaking seven-game playoff series to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pacers — and their fans — have been here before. There was that 4-3 loss to the LeBron-led Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals in 2013. And the 4-3 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the opening round of the 2016 playoffs. Don't forget all those close calls during the Pacers-Knicks and Pacers-Pistons rivalries two decades ago.

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The question now is how will the Pacers leap that hurdle next season — and one key might be Oladipo's competitive nature and his relentless work ethic and training regimen.

In his post-game news conference after the Game 7 loss on Sunday, Oladipo said, almost matter-of-factly, "I don't know how to take time off. So ... I have somebody telling me take, you know, a break and enjoy your life (and) I say, 'This is my life.' "

He also told IndyStar Pacers Insider J. Michael: “I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface of how good I can be.”

Oladipo's drive and fire was evident even when he was an unpolished, unskilled, and yet still somehow impressive, middle school kid.

This is what Mike Jones, his future coach at DeMatha High School, said about Oladipo when he first saw him play as an eighth-grader in a CYO game in Upper Marlboro, Md.: "This kid was everywhere. He was very vocal, always around the ball, got a lot of rebounds. … He was very raw. In the eighth grade, he couldn't do much of anything, but he played hard. And over four years, he learned how to play basketball. That's all about his work ethic and the coaches who worked with him. He always wanted to work."

He was known for his relentlessness and preparation at Indiana University, too. Just ask his teammates. Yogi Ferrell said this about Oladipo in a 2013 interview with Associated Press Sports Writer Michael Marot: "He's just a gym rat. He's still in the gym to this day and he definitely brought that in with him. He and Will Sheehey are both gym rats, they're always in the gym just trying to get better. When I see them in there, I always want to get in there and I definitely want to get shots up with them, too."

Oladipo also got in crazy shape last off-season after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Pacers. His trainer, David Alexander, bragged to Slack.com that the Pacers guard had lost 10 pounds and looked leaner in just his first few weeks with Alexander after the 2016-17 NBA season. Oladipo built his endurance with a plyometric and agility drills, followed a healthier, cleaner diet.

Oladipo has surprised at every level.

His better condition and performance this season was apparent in many ways. Along with more scoring, rebounding and assists per game this season (23.1, 5.2, 4.3, respectively), NBA tracking data showed Oladipo was averaging a blistering 4.65 mph pace on the court and running an average of 2.53 miles per game, among the best this season in both categories.

And just when many people were beginning to count the Pacers out after a Game 5 loss, Oladipo played one of his best games in Game 6, notching a triple double (28 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists) in leading Indiana to a dominating 121-87 victory over the Cavs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

While Pacers players couldn't be blamed for taking a few moments to look back on the season they just played, Oladipo was reportedly back to his old self, working out for two hours and getting in 200 shots at the Pacers gym on Monday.

Now, instead of a letdown or a lot of finger-pointing, many fans, and others, can't wait to see what the Pacers can do next season.

That includes Oladipo, who reportedly had this Twitter exchange with his trainer less than 20 minutes after Game 7 ended.

Call IndyStar digital producer Dwight Adams at (317) 444-6532. Follow him on Twitter: @hdwightadams.

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