The 2025 NBA Finals started with Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller filled with hope that his former team would finally be able to win its first NBA championship. It did not turn out that way, as Indiana fell prey to the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games.

What Miller did not likely expect was that he would be a subject of a popular social media account that makes connections between art and, well, sports.

ArtButMakeItSports, which has over 230,000 followers on Instagram, used a photo of Miller during Game 7 and juxtaposed it with the 1876 Edgar Degas painting “L'Absinthe,” also known as “Figures at Café.”

That is exactly what makes ArtButMakeItSports a hit among fans of both sports and fine arts. The creator of the account, LJ Rader, started posting such content in 2019, and it has exploded in popularity through the years.

Since he's well-versed in sports and often visits museums, it made sense to him to combine both realms into one fun social media project that continues to turn heads on the internet.

“There are a lot of similarities of artists equating to athletes in various styles and time periods,” Rader said in a 2023 interview with GQ. “ They’re not all that different: you’re capturing movement in some ways in art; in sports, you’re sort of doing the same thing.”

Although not shown in the post, the woman in the painting was not exactly alone, as she was sitting beside a man who was staring in a different direction. The woman, looking forlorn, also has a glass of absinthe on the table in front of her. Miller probably needed a drink or two following his beloved Pacers' 103-91 loss to the Thunder, which was made even more painful by the devastating injury suffered by Tyrese Haliburton in the first period.

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The Miller post by ArtButMakeItSports garnered lots of reactions from fans as well.

“The best profile in sports coverage,” commented a fan.

“No no no no nooo leave Reggie alone ik he hurtin💔,” an Instagram user shared.

“Are you kidding me,” a fan commented.

“Beautiful!,” a take from a different commenter read.

Via another comment: “Sorry, Reg 🤷🏻‍♂️.”

Despite the loss, the Pacers made a strong impression on the NBA world with their unlikely deep run in the 2025 playoffs. As for Miller, his facial reaction to Indiana's Game 7 loss now lives as part of the Impressionist movement — sort of.