The Indiana Pacers are preparing for Game 3 of the NBA finals on Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Leading up to their first finals appearance since 1999-2000, Indiana defeated the Milwaukee Bucks (4-1), Cleveland Cavaliers (4-1) and New York Knicks (4-2) in the prior rounds. Forward Pascal Siakam has been at the helm of their recent success.
The 31-year-old averaged 24.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals within 36.0 minutes of playing time in six games against the Knicks en route to receiving the Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy.
However, before he landed in Indiana, Siakam helped the Toronto Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the 2018-19 NBA finals. In that same season, he also won the Most Improved Player of the Year award and looked back at it during Tuesday’s practice.
“It was great and just elite opportunities,” Siakam told this season’s Most Improved Player of the Year Dyson Daniels in an interview. “We had a different coach, and we’re [in] a different system, and [the] coach trusted me to be myself.”
During that season, the former Raptor took a huge step in his career’s trajectory by averaging 16.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. In the finals against Golden State, he averaged 19.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
“I just went out there and was feeling confident to compete and show my skills,” Siakam added. “And again, it’s opportunities, and you have to be ready to work hard, and when your opportunity comes, take it.”
Pascal Siakam
Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) dribbles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9)
© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Daniels also had a career year in terms of production as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. He averaged 14.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a starting guard and leads the league with 3.0 steals per game.
Game 3 of the NBA finals between the Pacers and Thunder airs on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.