Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam had the NBA Finals debut of his dreams, pouring in a team-high 32 points on a blistering 14-of-17 shooting night, one he claimed was aided by the amount of easy buckets he was allowed to get against the Golden State Warriors.
Siakam feasted his way to 11 straight makes at one point, nine of them coming by means of the restricted area:
“I think obviously getting some easy buckets in transition, something that I haven't really been able to do all playoffs, and I think just being able to run and getting easy baskets at the rim,” Siakam said when asked what keyed his Game 1 performance, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. “And then, from there, just playing, just playing whatever defense gives me. That's why I always say, kind of play off of that and whatever is open, just taking it with confidence and believing in myself.”
Siakam also canned two of his three attempts from beyond the arc, both coming surprisingly above the break, a spot in which he has shot only 25% from this season.
The Warriors emphasized that Siakam's fast-break play was eventually what turned the tide and made things awfully difficult to contain.
The Raptors welcome Pascal Siakam taking control of the fast break, thanks to his speed, length, and ability to handle the ball while running at full speed — something he put on display in Game 1 of this series.
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