The best Pacer moments of 2020
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — As we finally say good-bye to the ridiculous year of 2020, we can still look back and reflect on the fun Pacer moments of the past 12 months. We will never forget some of these memories- and these moments gave us some joy and something to talk about during a brutal season of life.
Before the pandemic began, we had the Victor Oladipo return. It was January 29th, against the Chicago Bulls. And regardless of how you feel about Victor Oladipo now, you can’t deny how special that night was.
Here was the game-tying shot and reaction from my Media spot-
Oladipo brought plenty of drama with him to 2020 after this moment, especially before and after the Orlando bubble. But for now, he’s a Pacer.. he’s playing great basketball again, and we’ll have to wait and see what his future looks like. As a long-time Oladipo supporter, I hope he and the Pacers can work things out for the long-term.
Speaking of the bubble, nobody will ever forget that experience. Things didn’t end well for the Pacers in Orlando, but they brought fans plenty of enjoyment in those eight games leading up to the playoffs. Mr. Bubble himself, T.J. Warren gave us one of the best Pacer performances we’ve ever seen.
Warren followed up his 53-point masterpiece with 34 and 32 point performances the next two games. His inspired play led thousands of Pacer fans to change their profile picture to Warren’s face- one of the true highlights of 2020. Many of them still have his face as their profile pic, not to mention the fans who continually remind the Phoenix Suns that Warren was acquired for cash considerations. Unfortunately, 2020 gave us all one final blow on New Year’s Eve- TJ Warren has a stress fracture and will miss significant time. Hopefully it’s not a season-ending injury, and Warren can get back to getting buckets for Indy later this season.
Another moment of 2020 that at least appears to be highly significant- the hiring of new Head Coach Nate Bjorkgren. Yes, it’s an extremely small sample size, as the Pacers have only played five games under new Nate. But it’s not just about the early returns in the standings. Bjorkgren was given a ton of praise before the Pacers ever suited up. Kevin Pritchard conducted one of those extensive coaching searches you will ever see a team make- and he believed Bjorkgren was the guy. The players love him. The fans love him. And despite very few roster changes to this team, bringing in a coach who could be the “next” Nick Nurse elevates the potential ceiling for this franchise. One day, we may look back at 2020 as the year a fairly surprising, yet genius coaching hire was made.
And now, we learn from the growth of 2020, and look ahead to better things in 2021. After the Pacers defeated the Cavaliers on Thursday afternoon, I asked Victor Oladipo about 2020. Here’s what he had to say-
Happy New Year, Pacers fans. Here’s to a great 2021.
