Toronto Raptors power forward Pascal Siakam made NBA history in his first NBA Finals game on Thursday.
According to Basketball Reference's official Twitter account, Siakam becomes just the fourth player with a maximum of three years' experience to score at least 30 points in his first NBA Finals game. He joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Tim Duncan in that elite category.
30+ points in an #NBAFinals Game 1, first 3 seasons in the league (since 1970):
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971)
Hakeem Olajuwon (1986)
Tim Duncan (1999)
Pascal Siakam (tonight)— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) May 31, 2019
The Toronto Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals, 118-109. Siakam led Toronto with 32 points.
2019 second team All-NBA member Kawhi Leonard has been on a tear as of late. His scoring binge is one of the main reasons why the Raptors are on the verge of winning their first NBA title.
However, it's nice to have a player such as Siakam take the load off Leonard during the NBA Finals. While Siakam's scoring has tailed off since the first-round series against the Orlando Magic, he's still a reliable weapon.
Nobody saw Siakam's resurgence coming. He simply has thrived in head coach Nick Nurse's system. He has averaged 18.7 points per game in the playoffs through May 30. We expect him to continue lighting it up in the Finals against Golden State.
Jheez that was smooth, @pskills43 pic.twitter.com/8F8ihyDgNN
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) May 31, 2019
Joining the likes of Abdul-Jabbar, Olajuwon, and Duncan is no mean feat. Both Abdul-Jabbar and Olajuwon are enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Duncan should join them in the next few years.
Could this be a sign of Pascal Siakam's future greatness? It sure seems like it.
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