The closest battle at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday wasn’t the Indiana Pacers’ game against the New York Knicks. It was Pascal Siakam vs. Tyrese Haliburton for Eastern Conference finals MVP.
The Pacers finished off the Knicks in emphatic fashion in Game 6 in a 125-108 win. After the game, Siakam was named MVP for the series, and it turned out he beat out Haliburton for the honor by a single vote.
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Five journalists voted for Siakam, while Haliburton got four votes.
Across six games in the series, Siakam averaged 24.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1 turnover per game while shooting 52.3% from the field. Haliburton averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.7 turnovers per game while shooting 45.5% from the field.
Both players came up huge in Game 6, with Siakam scoring 31 points to lead all scorers, and Haliburton posting 21 points and 13 assists.
Haliburton did contribute what will be the most lasting moment of the series, as his bouncing buzzer-beater in Game 1, and ensuing choke gesture to channel Reggie Miller, to send the game to overtime gave Indiana all the momentum it needed to stay ahead of New York.
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However, Siakam came up bigger in the rest of the Pacers’ wins, posting at least 30 points in Games 2, 4 and 6. As the voting reflected, both players had a standout showing in the series, and will need to be even better in the NBA Finals if they want to take down the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam have powered the Pacers to the NBA Finals. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
(Steven Ryan via Getty Images)
The Pacers acquired both players in blockbuster trades, and the franchise’s current era revolves around them. The Pacers blew up a core that had previously reached the playoffs by sending star big man Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Haliburton, then a promising but unproven point guard.
Once Haliburton started to emerge as an All-Star, the Pacers sought out a co-star and paid heavily for one with Siakam, sending a trio of players and a trio of first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a big man who helped win a championship in 2019.
The postseason has so far been a small-market success story. Its next chapter begins Thursday in OKC (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
