Pascal Siakam was the best player on the floor in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Playing with Kawhi Leonard and against Steph Curry, not to mention the likes Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, the third-year forward outplayed them all while leading the Toronto Raptors to a 118-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
Siakam scored 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished five assists, and blocked two shots, making his presence felt defensively nearly as much as on the other end of the floor. Most impressive about his performance? Siakam was a blistering 14-of-17 from the field, at one point making 11 straight shots, good for an 88.2 effective field goal percentage – the third-highest mark ever among 30-point scorers in the NBA Finals.
Pascal Siakam had an effective field-goal percentage of 88.2 percent tonight, the third highest ever in an #NBAFinals game by a player with at least 30 points.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) May 31, 2019
Siakam went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, with both makes coming above the break. He also connected on 2-of-3 from outside the paint. But where Siakam made his biggest impact was around the rim, taking full advantage of wholesale attention paid to Kawhi Leonard by attacking open space and finishing over the top of Warriors defenders in one-on-one situations. The fleet-footed big man was also a terror in transition, where Toronto scored 24 points.
Pascal Siakam, the favorite for Most Improved Player of the Year, was hardly the only player on his team who showed up in Game 1, either. Leonard had 23 points, eight rebounds, and five assists despite struggling from mid-range and facing near-constant double-teams. Marc Gasol scored a postseason-best 20 points, while Fred Van Vleet continued his excellent recent play by chipping in 15 points off the bench and doggedly chasing Steph Curry on the other end.
Game 2 is on Sunday.
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