Former United States president Barack Obama may know a thing or two about hoops — and he's been keeping an eye on the Indiana Pacers. Before the season, he praised the Pacers and their style of play.
"Yes, but also because you guys play with pace and move the ball around," Obama said while on the Young Man and the Three "If you ask me, the teams I've enjoyed watching most over the last decade are the Warriors and before that, the Spurs."
He added, "I just like that style of basketball — the beautiful game where the ball’s popping, and nobody's just backing up and dribbling the whole time. You guys play that style of ball."
The Pacers shocked the NBA world by advancing out of the Eastern Conference Finals, and Obama's NBA analysis is looking remarkably prescient.
Barack Obama heaps high praise on the Indiana Pacers
That's high praise for someone as hoops-savvy as Barack Obama, widely known as one of the most passionate basketball fans in the world.
The Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs are among the greatest dynasties in NBA history, not just for winning multiple championships, but also for playing a style of selfless basketball that allowed them to remain among the most formidable throughout their dominant runs. Everyone contributed at both ends of the floor, knew their role, moved the ball and celebrated the team over the individual — all things that have helped the Pacers.
For the Pacers, making the Finals is no small feat. They managed to knock out the Milwaukee Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the New York Knicks, a group of the toughest teams in the Eastern Conference.
Haliburton has risen his play throughout their postseason run and has yielded great results for the Pacers thus far. If Obama is right, and the Pacers' run is more than just a Cinderella story, then that might be on the verge of joining some elite company.