The Indiana Pacers, after three years of missing the playoffs are back in the big time. Tyrese Haliburton has taken the Pacers to the next level, but in their 2024 first-round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, it hasn't been Haliburton who has lifted the team on his back. The team's blockbuster acquisition back in January, Pascal Siakam, has been on a tear to begin the playoffs, and the Pacers have stolen homecourt advantage as a result following a resounding 125-108 Game 2 win away from home.

Siakam, who scored 36 points in his playoff debut for the Pacers, followed that stellar performance up with a 37-point night in Game 2. It has been clear that, to this point, the Bucks don't have the personnel to handle the two-time All-Star power forward.

It's not always easy to perform at one's best when undergoing a major life transition. For Pascal Siakam, he spent seven and a half seasons with the Toronto Raptors, and the Pacers didn't exactly take off as a bonafide contender upon his arrival. But Siakam has received nothing but love from the Pacers franchise, and the 30-year old couldn't help but reciprocate with some strong appreciation of his own.

“I'm blessed, man. Blessed to be here. Didn't go the playoffs last year so that was my goal coming in this year. I'm blessed to be able to be in this organization, like the Pacers. They've given me everything. The love is amazing. I feel good. We're back in the playoffs. I'm back where I belong,” Siakam said in his postgame interview with NBA TV's Dennis Scott, via ClutchPoints Twitter (X).

Indeed, Pascal Siakam is a proud winner, and given where he is in his career, he would most definitely want another shot at a title. But before the Pacers can look towards that ultimate goal, they will have to make the most of the homecourt advantage that belongs to them moving forward, especially amid Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence for the Bucks.

Pascal Siakam has been unstoppable

The scoring totals for Pascal Siakam through the first two games may be the most eye-catching, but it's the manner in which the Pacers star is getting his against the Bucks' defense that will give Indiana confidence moving forward. Siakam does the bulk of his damage when attacking the basket and stopping short in the midrange to establish his perimeter threat.

Through the first two contests, Siakam has gotten to his spots without much trouble. He has made mincemeat of his primary defenders, Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez. He has also stretched the floor when facing the much-slower Lopez, taken advantage of Portis' lack of lateral quickness and rim protection, cut to the basket against a stretched-out Bucks defense, and feasted on mismatches down low against the likes of Khris Middleton, Pat Connaughton, and even Damian Lillard.

Pascal Siakam has made 31 of his 48 field-goal attempts thus far in the series, and at this point, unless Giannis Antetokounmpo makes a triumphant return from injury, it's not quite clear how the Bucks can slow him down.

The 30-year old forward has proven, in the grandest stage of them all, that he can deliver for his teams when it matters the most. Siakam relishes the spotlight, for an inexperienced Pacers team, his ability to rise to the occasion has proven invaluable.

Pacers still have room to improve, vis a vis, Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton was a 20-10 machine in the regular season, but the public perception of him began to turn this season. Some fans believe that Haliburton is quickly becoming overrated, and his meh performances (by his standards) for the first two games of the 2024 playoffs have done nothing to change that perception.

In Game 1, Haliburton was very passive in hunting for his shot. He took just seven shots from the field, making four of them, and he finished with just nine points. That simply will not cut it for someone many believe to be the Pacers' best player. His scoring isn't the best part of his game, but under the bright lights of the playoffs, superstar players take the lead to get their team to victory lane.

On Tuesday, Tyrese Haliburton was better; he finished with 12 points and 12 dimes, smartly taking a backseat to the one who has taken the mantle as the Pacers' best player thus far in the postseason — Pascal Siakam. But the Pacers know they'll be in for a dogfight against the Bucks moving forward, even though Milwaukee has struggled so much on the road this season. For Indiana to topple Milwaukee, Haliburton has to play better on both ends of the court.