Victor Oladipo: Dan Gilbert's Comments on Paul George Trade 'Fueled the Fire'

Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo seemed to prove everyone wrong with a breakout 2017-18 season, and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was one of his doubters.

After the Pacers received Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in exchange for Paul George this summer, Gilbert said, "I would say Indiana could have done better than they did," per Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.

Oladipo mentioned those comments after scoring 32 in a Game 1 win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.

"You could say it fueled the fire," he said of Gilbert's words, per Tom Withers of the Associated Press.

The 25-year-old was outstanding in his first year with the Pacers, setting career highs with 23.1 points, 4.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game in the regular season. His 2.4 steals per game led the NBA, and he earned his first All-Star selection in his fifth year in the league.

While the 2013 No. 2 overall pick had been solid in his first four years with an average of 15.9 PPG, he developed into a legitimate star this season as the top player on the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.

His squad also has the advantage in the first round of the playoffs after a 98-80 win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 on Sunday. Per ESPN Stats and Info, it was the first time a team with LeBron James has lost in the first round in the last 21 tries.

Meanwhile, the playoffs might have looked much different if George was traded to the Cavs instead of the Thunder.

Per Ramona Shelburne, Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Pacers nearly agreed to a three-way deal with Denver and Cleveland before backing out at the last minute. Not only is George not on the roster, but now the Cavaliers also need to try to beat Oladipo in the first round.

After losing in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two years, Indiana seems to be in better shape for a deeper run in 2018.