After defeating the Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 31, Pascal Siakam was named the East Finals MVP.
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INDIANAPOLIS — As the Indiana Pacers celebrated Saturday night’s 125-108 win over the New York Knicks in Game 6, stars Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam embraced on the court.
It was the moment for which Siakam had been brought to Indianapolis.
The Pacers acquired Siakam on January 17, 2024 from the Toronto Raptors. Siakam had spent his entire career with Toronto and was a key member of their 2019 NBA championship team. With the trade, Siakam, twice an All-Star in Toronto and again this season with the Pacers, brought leadership and winning experience to a young, gutsy team. Siakam was meant to be a perfect complement to Haliburton.
And he delivered.
“Well, if you have the right player to build around, it can happen much faster than you think,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “Getting Tyrese made it very clear what our identity as a team needed to be. We needed to be a fast-paced team with shooting, and we had some good shooting at the time.
“The Siakam trade took things to another level.”
Great leaders remain resilient under pressure. Facing a potential closeout Game 7 on the road, Siakam rose to the occasion at home in Game 6.
The Pacers had an opportunity to beat the Knicks in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, but they came out unenergetic, unmotivated and flat. New York jumped out to an early lead, which they never let up, and Indiana never really locked in. Siakam finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists — the only Indiana starter to score in double figures. After the poor showing, Pacers players were confident that they would watch film and turn things around. They vowed to fix their mistakes and defend the Knicks’ sharpshooters with more urgency.
And in Saturday night’s game, the Pacers showed and proved they deserved to be on basketball’s biggest stage, advancing to the franchise’s second-ever NBA Finals, where the Pacers will face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Game 1 is Thursday, June 5, in OKC at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Though Haliburton got off to a relatively quiet start, Siakam was the first Pacer to score in double figures. Siakam was smooth on the offensive end, hitting turnaround jumpers as New York looked for an answer for him. He also leaked out on multiple possessions, sprinting ahead of Knicks defenders for easy baskets. On the defensive end, he was dominant, keeping Karl-Anthony Towns from becoming too much of a threat.
In the decisive home victory, Siakam led all scorers with 31 points, his third 30-plus-point game of the series. Shooting 55 percent from the field (10 of 18) and including 3 of 5 from 3, Siakam’s next-level performance earned him Eastern Conference finals MVP.
“Congratulations to Pascal. So deserving guy’s been a rock of consistency all year, and a lot of guys contributed to this game,” Carlisle said.
In the series against the Knicks, Siakam was a steadying presence on the court, averaging 24.8 points. And thanks to his championship pedigree, Siakam provided valuable advice to his teammates in the locker room.
“We brought in a champion, and then you brought in someone that’s been there before … someone who had to work his way up,” Pacers big man Myles Turner said. “He’s a G League champion, G League finals MVP, and (an) All-Star. (He’s) someone who’s also seen the highs and lows and (has) that championship experience. There’s only so much I can tell guys.
“When you have someone who’s actually been in trenches, who has actually felt what it feels like … it’s so underrated, just the emotions this time of the year. You don’t sleep. You lose hair. You can’t explain that if you’ve never been here before.”
Winning a ring with the Raptors was not the only reason leaving Toronto was one of the most difficult moments of Siakam’s career. Toronto’s “Jurassic Park” was the place that fostered his love for basketball, before he knew basketball was a lifestyle somewhere in the middle of America.
“It was a tough moment, I think being in Toronto … I came there as a little kid, and it was a huge part of who I am as a person. And having to leave that place was hard,” Siakam said. “From the first time I had a conversation with Chad (Buchanan, Pacers GM), (president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard) and coach (Rick Carlisle), this was a goal. I think that just how amazing they’ve been throughout the whole process, just supporting me, not that I needed the words of affirmation, just being there for me.
“And just so much support from the organization, the fans. I can never take it for granted. It’s rewarding to be able to be in this position. (It’s been a) full year and a half but to be able to get to this level and have the opportunity to play for an NBA championship, that’s amazing.”
Siakam came ready to make an impact, and did as soon as he donned the blue and gold. In 41 games for the Pacers during the 2023-24 campaign, Siakam averaged 21.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists. After Indiana’s season ended in the Eastern Conference finals, Siakam invited his Pacers teammates to his home to build upon the chemistry that had started to bloom during the season.
“I think that’s one of the reasons coming into the summer I invited everyone to my house. We got to hang out. And every single person on this team is an amazing person,” Siakam said. “It’s just a bunch of good guys. And when you have that, and everyone is committed to the work, and there’s no selfishness and it’s all about winning, that’s what you want to have.
“And another thing … we’re resilient. We won’t stop. And when there’s bad games, we’re still gonna be here. We’re gonna wake up every single day and we’re gonna go to work, and that’s what you want from a team. That’s why I always ride for these guys.”
And his guys ride for him. They have since the very beginning, especially Haliburton. The All-Star point guard was the first to buy in, knowing what was at stake.
“When we brought him here, we had a vision,” Haliburton said. “We envisioned doing something like this, doing something special. It’s just really special that he’s been here. He’s been like a big brother for me, someone I can really trust, somebody that I can really lean on and talk to, and just somebody who can always keep me steady.”
Siakam has especially been a steadying presence for Bennedict Mathurin, the third-year guard/forward from Montreal. The two share more than their native language, French, and Canadian residence at different points in their lives. They share a similar competitive spirit, a never-ending work ethic, and the desire to rise above expectations.
“He’s good, he’s amazing,” Mathurin said. “He’s always the same — even-keeled — whether we win or we lose. He’s been there before, so it’s easy to know what he’s talking about. It’s easy to follow what he knows best. This moment is amazing.”
The moment Siakam raised the Larry Bird Trophy next to Reggie Miller in front of a sold-out, gold-out crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the kid from Cameroon joined the rich fabric of Indiana basketball forever.
Because he now understands, “in 49 states, it’s just basketball.”
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Shakeia Taylor is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the NBA. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune. Follow Shakeia on Twitter @curlyfro
