The Heat once abandoned Tobu like a broken shoe, but now he has entered the NBA Finals again

Earlier, Sun Sentinel reporter Ira Winderman wrote:

At this moment, this feeling may not be strong, especially after Thomas Bryant just injected key energy into the Indiana Pacers on the promotion night to help the team advance to this week's NBA Finals.

However, the trade (local time) that last December 15th that brought the experienced inside player from the Miami Heat to the Pacers can still be regarded as a win-win situation.

After sending off the player who was once regarded as a key free agent signing by Heat CEO Pat Riley in 2023, the Heat freed up valuable playing time for 2024 first-round rookie Kyle Weal, allowing him to grow and be selected for the second team of the All-Rookie Rookie.

In this deal, the Pacers paid only a nominal price - a second-round draft pick exchange right in 2031. At that time, Heat coach Spoel and Pacers coach Rick Carlisle mentioned that a change of environment might be beneficial to the second round pick who graduated from Indiana University in 2017.

At that time, under the decision of the coaching staff, Tobu had failed to represent the Heat in 13 consecutive games. The Pacers are being reimbursed for seasonal reimbursement by inside players Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, and are in urgent need of supplemental inside players.

"We are all big fans of TB (Thomas Bryant)," Spoel said immediately after the deal. "In this industry, what matters is your reputation, your character, and of course your talent. But when you impress everyone here and everyone feels the same, it's a success. He deserves to play."

"This kind of decision is always tough, especially when it's made during the season. But I think it's one of the cases that are good for both sides. And because of his professionalism, we worked together with TB and his agents to contribute to it."

This gave Tobu the chance to win a second NBA championship ring in six years. Previously, he won one in the 2023 NBA Finals when he defeated the Heat for the Denver Nuggets.

As was the case with the Heat for more than a season, Tob's journey with the Pacers was accompanied by unstable playing time and a lot of moments of waving towels on the bench to cheer for his teammates.

Torbu made three three-pointers to turn the game in the game helping the Pacers win over the New York Knicks to secure the Eastern Conference championship. After the game, Eastern Conference Final MVP Pascal Siakam specifically praised Tobu for everything he did for the Pacers.

"One of the things he did when he was sitting on the bench was to be the one who cheered everyone the most off the court," Siakam said during the Pacers' post-match celebration. "He lost his playing time, but he was still cheering everyone. That's basketball -- when you become such a teammate, the basketball god will reward you."

In this regard, both former Heat insiders injected energy into the Pacers' NBA Finals trip against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In addition to Bryant and his towel cheering, the Pacers have always emphasized the veteran value brought by former Heat forward James Johnson. Since September 2022, Zhan Yoo has been signed or re-signed by the Pacers as many as 7 times.

At the end of the Pacers' lock-up series victory, both Tob and Janyo stood on the court for the Indiana.

For Tobu, this is another reward for persistence.

"Many times, you have to choose to believe in yourself when others don't believe," Tobu said in an interview in the locker room after the game. "Sometimes, even when you don't believe, you have to convince yourself to believe. You have to make yourself believe and stick to it."

"There were moments when I thought I could never step on the court again."

However, now he is about to step onto the stage of another NBA Finals. It's more than a month since his former club, the Heat, ended the season - the Heat were humiliated and eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs, and it was the Cavaliers who were eliminated by the Pacers in the second round.

"When you are traded, you don't really know what the future will be," Tob continued, "but you just know that you want to contribute to a team and do everything possible to help them win."

From nowhere to play at the Heat, to the possibility of winning with the Pacers.

"Thomas has an indomitable spirit as a man and a player," Coach Carlisle commented. "He is fully committed and always ready."