Game 7 NBA Finals - Pascal scores 3pts in the second half

[Walid]

What were people watching? Siakam just didn't have it. Only Mathurin showed up in 4th. 25 turnovers and OKC bricked a ton of shots. Lucky they didn't win by 30.

What were you watching? Siakam was inexplicably benched for like 8 minutes in the second half which is when the game got out of control.

Carlisle decided to stick Pascal in a corner and spam TJ isos the rest of the time.

You cannot make an impact on the game offensively if the coach won't involve you. You cannot make an impact defensively if the your guards just keep committing TOs and letting OKC out on fast breaks. By the time they looked to get Pascal involved they were already well behind and the momentum was against them.

Siakam had a spectacular playoffs but today the Indy guards got wrecked by OKC and that was the story of the game.

People can’t help but criticize. Nor can they commend the 68 win team from pulling through at home or note the questionable coaching decisions. Not to mention, this obsession with legacy is ruining perception of what skills and intangibles players can bring to a team.

Pascal Siakam is good enough to be considered a finals MVP if they had won, that’s what we can take away from what his value is.

[YogurtProducer]

Odd long rest they gave him. But yeah, they will have to look to feature him more next season with Halliburton out now. I’m not sure they have a real strategy in place when Halliburton doesn’t play.

I'm not sure why it's being called such a long rest, he only rested 6 and a half minutes in the entire 2nd half, and 11min the entire game lol. They subbed him out at 7:13 in the 3rd, then back in at 1:56, he was sitting for like 5min people are making it sound like he was out the entire 3rd quarter or something lol

Playing 36 minutes in game 7 of the finals, when Obi Toppin put up a gooseegg in 20 minutes is malpractice.

This is a fair assessment, he averaged 13.8 FGA over the playoffs. What doesn't make sense is everyone complaining that he got froze out of game 7, this is inline with everything else in the playoffs. He just happened to be the least efficient player that took double digit FGAs that game. He's just not a first option, I don't get why people are acting like this is news.

He averaged 14.8FGA in the playoffs in 33mpg. He plays 36 minutes, Halliburton played 8 minutes, and yet he only got 13? The Pacers did a really bad job of getting the ball to their best player. Siakam has a deficiency in being able to create everything himself which is why he is not a superstar, but Indiana SUCKED at getting him going last night.

[WWSRD]

You think a guy with that kind of drive, to keep continuing to grow, and expand his game (late in life, and against high odds) just decides "ya know, screw this internal drive stuff, I'm just giving up on getting better?" If so, that's an odd take. Sure, we can debate whether Pascal is a Tier1 or Tier2 or 3, an alpha scorer or a 2nd or even a 3rd "guy". But the suggestion that he intentionally isn't giving it all, or reaching for the most he can get, is a bit nonsensical given what we know about Pascal's drive to be the best he can be.

Not everyone has the talent to be a first option, and there is nothing really wrong with that. Scottie Pippen, Klay Thompson, Jalen Brown, etc. None of these guys had the talent to be dominant first options on offence, but they were still elite second options who earned their max contracts. Pascal is in that category.

I don't think it works quite like that. Most people can't decide they are just going to work that much harder and be that guy on a contender. Pretty sure he's maxed out his potential, it's just that that was as a second option on a contender, which is still damn good and super crazy impressive if you think about where he came from. And yes, second options on a contender still get max money or very close to it.

Its not that he doesn't work hard. It's not that he doesn't work REALLY hard.

But even at the level Pascal is at, 1 level from the absolute pinnacle, there are still levels.

IMO, Pascal learnt, when he got to the NBA, what it would take to really develop his game. And he did that over 4 years. He developed habits and a routine, given his talent, that could get him to be a max player.

He likely still works REALLY hard just to maintain that level.

However, to crank it up another notch, he probably needs that borderline psychotic Kobe-ish obsessive approach. And that is not for everybody. In fact, that's not for almost everybody.

IMO, given his development over his 1st 4 years, and given his physical talent, I think there's an extra little bit he's leaving on the table. And its the difference between an efficient ~20point or ~26point scorer.

[Mattatron]

Some folks compared Siakam to Kevin Garnett couple weeks ago lmaooo

What did Garnett do before he was a third option defensive specialist with the Celtics?

Obviously Garnett was a great player and better than Pascal, but he gets mythologized too much. He had significant limitations as a half-court scorer. More than the current version of Pascal to be honest. But he’s better than Siakam in terms of overall impact for sure.

Garnett scored 17 points in a Finals Game 7 loss, I know that much. Also got bullied by Pau Gasol in that game.

Siakam isn't KG, but he led a team to being one average half away from the greatest upset in our lifetimes as NBA fans. That's an accomplishment.

I know that KG was 34 years old and played against Artest, Bynum and Gasol.
Siakam didn't led ****, he's the same he always was, a no-show when the main player is missing.

[gp2015]

Yeah let’s start a thread to **** on Siakam when no player currently on the Raptors will ever play in a finals game. Good idea.

Way to make a wild assumption when most players are just starting their NBA careers

[NinjaBro]

What a shameful thread smh