Victor Oladipo thrives in crunch time for the Indiana Pacers

Victor Oladipo continues his reign as the Mayor of Indianapolis with another game-winner, this time in the Indiana Pacers win over the Boston Celtics.

In case you missed it, Victor Oladipo did this tonight. Unlike some guy who wears number 13 down South, Victor Oladipo has earned a reputation as a crunch-time machine in his short tenure with the Indiana Pacers.

He just has a thing for underwhelming performances through the first three quarters and then reminding us who he is in the fourth. It is glorious, and it is just what the Indiana Pacers need. I would rather have him show up in the quarter that matters more than any other.

Through 10 games this season, Victor Oladipo has owned the fourth quarter. In the final period of games, Oladipo has posted per-36 minute splits of 35.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. He is scorching from all over in the fourth quarter, shooting 53.5% from the field and burning down the nets from three, shooting 52.9%.

For comparison, Oladipo is shooting 46.4% from the field and 36.9% from the field overall. Oladipo ranks fifth in the NBA in fourth quarter scoring per 36 minutes. He becomes a different animal, one that is much higher up on the food chain.

In just over one season in Indianapolis, Oladipo has had more than a few memorable moments at the end of games. When a big man switches onto Oladipo, he is almost certainly going to get scored on.

One thing Victor Oladipo does so well is his deceleration. He knows how to use his lightning quickness to his advantage. Taking a hard step with his inside foot, Oladipo pushes off of his right foot into a step back three, creating enough space to drain this game-winner:

Oladipo’s domination in transition opens up his pull-up game. Running in transition, Oladipo uses the hop to decelerate, set his feet, and take the wide-open three on balance:

Sizing up the larger Wilson Chandler, Oladipo backs up to gauge his space. The between the legs into the double cross combo is Tim Hardaway-esque.

Aware of Chandler’s length advantage, Oladipo displays his elite balance and coordination. Using only his right hand, he scoops the ball off of the high class to eliminate the shot blocking threat:

Even when the shot is not for him, Oladipo’s IQ helps him win in clutch moments. Thaddeus Young, rightfully, gets most of the credit for his heads-up play but Oladipo being aware enough to relocate to a perfect spot for Young to find him is a skill in and of its own:

Even if Oladipo doesn’t hit the shot, he stays with the play, creating free throws for Myles Turner:

Now, we get into Saturday’s show stopper. Oladipo pushes in transition. He recognizes that

Kyrie Irving

isn’t getting into his airspace, despite Brad Stevens’ pleading. When

Al Horford

backs up expecting the drive, Oladipo stops on a dime and fires the triple:

On the final play of the game, clutch master Oladipo comes up again. Brad Stevens is the Yoda of ATO plays and Oladipo knows this. Starting in the paint, Kyrie Irving sets a down screen for Al Horford and then flows into flex action with him and Jayson Tatum. The Celtics are known for throwing cross-court passes in risky situations and Oladipo stays attached to Tatum’s hip. Busting out his best Malik Hooker impression, he makes an acrobatic steal to seal the victory.

With this win, the Indiana Pacers improve to 7-3. Not only do they have the third best record in the East but they have cemented them in the upper tier of the Eastern Conference. The Pacers last three wins have all been tightly contested and haven’t been pretty. But they have all been wins.

And if it wasn’t for the Vibranium that fuels Victor Oladipo’s fourth-quarter heroics, this season would look a lot more gloomy for the boys in blue and gold.