The Indiana Pacers are coming off a stunning 98-80 comprehensive road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round matchup Sunday. Indiana’s win took away the Cavs’ home-court advantage. It also gave Pacers head coach Nate McMillan a good time to remind everyone, including Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, that they are being led by Victor Oladipo.

Here’s an interesting anecdote from Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report:

Coach McMillan said someone came to him recently to remind him of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert saying that Indiana “could have done better” in their Paul George-Victor Oladipo trade.

It could be remembered that the Pacers’ trade of Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder last year was much-maligned by people inside and outside of the NBA. It did not take long for Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to prove their worth, however, especially Oladipo, who averaged 23.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game in the regular season.

With Victor Oladipo leading the charge, the Pacers managed to secure a berth in the playoffs. In a sense, the Pacers have already overachieved by simply making it to the postseason, but with their win Sunday against the Cavs, it does seem they are not simply going to content themselves with the fact that they are part of the playoffs.

Oladipo scored 32 points in Game 1, shooting an excellent 11-for-19 from the field to go with six rebounds, four assists, and four steals in 37 minutes of action.

Dan Gilbert’s team will look to bounce back in Game 2 on Wednesday, but it’s undeniable that the Pacers have sent Cleveland a loud and clear message that they are more than just cannon fodder to LeBron James and company.