Pascal Siakam emphasized resilience and focus after the Indiana Pacers rallied from 15 points down to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Despite committing 25 turnovers and trailing nearly the entire contest, Indiana pulled off one of the largest fourth-quarter comebacks in Finals history.
Siakam, who tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds in the win, credited defensive intensity and mental toughness for the turnaround.
“Obviously we know we turned the ball over way too much. It’s just not who we are,” Siakam said postgame. “Credit to the defense—they were just on another level… But we just kept going.”
Indiana’s second-half composure was a key factor. The Pacers cut down on mistakes after halftime, outscoring the Thunder 35-25 in the final frame.
Siakam noted the importance of that stretch, explaining, “We just kind of did a better job of taking care of the ball… As long as we just keep playing—we always know that we have a chance.”
The road atmosphere didn’t rattle the Pacers. Fans in Oklahoma City made their presence felt, but Indiana’s supporters could be heard late in the game.
“Yeah, that was huge,” Siakam said of the “Go Pacers, go!” chants. “Shout out to those guys… We’re so blessed to have them as fans.”
Indiana’s Game 1 win also continued a postseason trend. The Pacers improved to 4-0 in one-point games during the playoffs, with each victory capped by a Tyrese Haliburton game-winner.
Haliburton’s step-back jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana its only lead of the night, following Rick Carlisle’s decision to sub out all five starters early in the fourth quarter.
Despite the win, Siakam stressed that the team remains far from satisfied.
“We know we’re nowhere near where we need to be in terms of just offense,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got to get back and get better.”
Siakam also highlighted the importance of playoff experience in navigating tough road environments.
“We’ve been in a lot of tough environments… We try to use that to settle us down,” he said. “We didn’t play to the level that we thought we could play.”
Game 2 is set for Sunday night in Oklahoma City, where the top-seeded Thunder will look to even the series before it shifts to Indiana.
Indiana is now three wins away from its first NBA title.
