Thanks in large part to solid outings from Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, the Indiana Pacers managed to even their first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers at three games apiece with a lop-sided 121-87 victory inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday night.
During his post-game media availability, Pacers head coach Nate McMillan — no doubt excited for his players — accidentally dropped an F-bomb while crediting his team's competitive nature.
Article Continues Below“They believed in each other,” coach McMillan said of his team. “They came out and they competed for each other tonight. And they beat a f—— really… A really good team.
“I'm still kind of fired up here,” coach McMillan said with a smile, realizing what he had said.
Oladipo was on a mission in Game 6. The former No. 2 overall pick (2013) logged 34 minutes, scoring 28 points on 11-19 shooting from the field (6-8 from beyond the arc), 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, marking his first triple-double in the playoffs.
“I just went out there and played,” Oladipo told ESPN after Friday's game. “I did everything with confidence. I just played read and react. This game is over. It means absolutely nothing right now.”
Sabonis really had his shot going on Friday night. In his 23 minutes of playing time, the 21-year-old racked up 19 points on 9-11 shooting to go with six rebounds and plus/minus score of +28.
Game 7 is set to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday afternoon with ABC having live broadcast coverage.