Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers knock out New York Knicks in NBA Eastern Conference Finals
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Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam lifting the Larry Bird Trophy after recording 31 points and three blocked shots on May 31.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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Indianapolis – Pascal Siakam already owns one National Basketball Association (NBA) championship ring and he now has a chance to win another.
Siakam, 31, was the biggest hero as the Indiana Pacers earned their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000 with a solid 125-108 victory over the visiting New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 31 in Indianapolis.
Siakam recorded 31 points and three blocked shots to finish off a stellar series in which he was named Most Valuable Player. He shot 10 of 18 from the field while notching his third 30-point outing of the series.
“So deserving. The guy has been a rock of consistency all year,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said of Siakam after the 4-2 series win.
Indiana will face Western Conference champions the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Game 1 is on June 5 in Oklahoma City.
Siakam, a nine-year veteran, won a title in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors. Now he will be the guy fielding questions from his teammates about what to expect.
“That year was my third year, I was this young kid. I thought it was going to be easy (to get back),” the Cameroonian said.
“I appreciate it even more now because I know how hard it is to get here.”
Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points, 13 assists and three steals for fourth-seeded Indiana. Obi Toppin added 18 points off the bench and Andrew Nembhard had 14 points and six steals for the Pacers.
“It’s a special feeling to do it with this group. We got to the same spot last year and we fell short. We worked our tails off to get back here,” Haliburton said.
O.G. Anunoby scored 24 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 14 rebounds for third-seeded New York. Jalen Brunson had 19 points and seven assists and Mikal Bridges had 15 points for the Knicks.
Indiana had a 25-10 edge on fast-break points while New York committed 17 turnovers in the finale, including five apiece by Brunson and Bridges.
“I saw a lot of breakaways on their part. It was the reason why they would extend the lead throughout the series,” Brunson said.
“It’s something I have to be able to control... It’s terrible on my part.”
The Pacers shot 54.1 per cent from the field, including a solid 17 of 33 from three-point range (51.5 per cent). Myles Turner and reserve Thomas Bryant had 11 points apiece and Aaron Nesmith added 10 for the Pacers.
New York made 47.7 per cent of their shots and were nine of 32 (28.1 per cent) from behind the arc. Landry Shamet had 12 points on four treys off the bench.
It was the first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals for the Knicks since 2000 when they also lost to the Pacers.
“I’m proud of what these guys did. There was a lot that we had to get through and I thought we handled that part well,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said.
“The play-offs are hard-fought and these games can go either way. There’s the disappointment of falling short of the ultimate goal but still proud of what we accomplished.”
Though the Knicks saw their season end, Towns is convinced the team will make more deep post-season runs in the near future.
“It hurts not to bring an opportunity to the city for a championship,” he said.
“We have a lot of great guys in this locker room. The plan now is to put ourselves in this position again and succeed next time.” REUTERS
