Pacers Hope To Tap Into 2016 Cavs Magic For Game 7 On Road

Back in 2016, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers did the unthinkable. They overcame a 3-1 Finals deficit against a 73-9 Golden State Warriors team — and the Cavs won Game 7 on the road.

If the Indiana Pacers are to walk away with the title Sunday night, they will have to do something similar.

Granted, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t finish 73-9, but they were the NBA’s most dominant team for the entire season, finishing 68-14. That’s 18 more wins than the Pacers.

Indiana also entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed. They’ve been very good on the road in the postseason. They have occasionally resembled a team of destiny — much like the Hickory Huskers from the Hoosiers movie, released nearly 40 years ago.

The heroes have been the likes of Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and even T.J. McConnell, who’s generally the shortest and oldest player on the floor.

Can the Pacers pull off one last basketball miracle? Or will the Thunder end their pleasant surprise of an NBA season?

We all can’t wait to find out.

Recalling Cavs’ 2016 Title

One thing about Game 7s? Generally, you never forget where you were when they happen. That’s especially the case with one like the Cavaliers’ title, which took place on Father’s Day of 2016.

I was watching the game at home, with my wife, who was pregnant with the youngest of three boys at the time. He was born three months later. He’s now 8 years old and just starting to get into the NBA a little bit.

I can remember when James rattled home two free throws to put the Cavaliers up by four with time running out. Even then, I had my doubts that the Cavs would win. It just didn’t seem real.

It wasn’t until then-Warriors forward Marreese Speights missed a corner shot at the final buzzer that I realized (and entirely accepted) what had just happened.

My oldest boy, then 12 at the time, ran around shirtless, yelling like a madman. The middle boy, ever the calm one, just smiled. My wife cried.

I sat down at the laptop and started banging out some Dribbles. I wasn’t sure what I was writing, but I knew I needed to get something on the website. It was pretty much jibberish.

Tonight, somewhere in the home of a Pacers or Thunder fan, something similar is likely to play out.