It was loud in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse tonight as the Indiana Pacers celebrated their first NBA Finals appearance in 25 years. Among the chorus of cheers and joy, one moment, in particular, went viral online, which included Tyrese Haliburton mistakenly stepping up to receive the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award.
The Pacers were underdogs to beat the Knicks in this series, especially without home-court advantage. But after winning the first two games on the road, they made a statement right away, and the fans are finally starting to show respect. For his part, Tyreese Haliburton played a major role and, even if he's not the Eastern Finals MVP, they wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for his skills and leadership at point guard.
The Conference Finals MVP is determined by a panel of media members who each cast their vote after the end of the series. With averages of 21.0 points, 10.0 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game in the series, Haliburton likely thought he had the MVP in the bag, especially since he's considered the star and face of the Pacers.
Of course, Hali's terrible performance in Game 5 significantly hurt his case, and general inconsistency throughout the series is likely what helped tip the scales for Siakam. Hopefully, in the Finals, Haliburton can prove himself with a more consistent and well-rounded effort.
Whether intentional or not, you can see him slightly step up toward the podium as Reggie Miller begins to say the name. To his surprise, Pascal Siakam won MVP honors instead after dropping 31 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 55.6% shooting. For the series, he averages 23.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while being an elite all-around defender.
Siakam, 31, started out with the Toronto Raptors before making his way to the Pacers. It was in Toronto that he won his first championship and developed into the two-way star he is today. As a 6'8" swing man with length and size, Siakam is every coach's dream at the power forward position, and he's filled his role to perfection since his arrival in 2016.
Alongside Haliburton, Siakam has helped the Pacers become one of the top teams in the East, and now he's leading the way for them in their first trip to the NBA Finals in decades. Against the Thunder, Indiana will have their toughest challenge yet, and they'll need everything to go perfectly for the series to go their way.
As the most dominant team all season, beating the Thunder will be no easy feat, but there is confidence that they can pull off another upset. With star power, bench depth, and a solid game plan, the Pacers have everything they need to complete their final challenge of the season.
Whether he wins Finals MVP or not, Haliburton's only goal is to win the title, and everything else is icing on the cake. While he might have imagined winning Conference Finals MVP for himself, he's happy for Siakam more than anything and grateful to finally have a teammate worthy of receiving such a highly esteemed honor.
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