After knocking the New York Knicks down a peg, the Indiana Pacers will be heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1999-00 season.
It’s an unexpected outcome to many, as the Knicks have been considered a championship contender for months. Conversely, the Pacers are a team that’s respected but not so much that people were predicting a title run. Nevertheless, much like face of the franchise Tyrese Haliburton, they’ve shown themselves to be underrated. At this point, it’s only right to give them a puncher’s chance at defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals, though they’ll be facing off against a formidable foe that’s led by reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Pacers’ Pascal Siakam Takes Home Eastern Conference Finals MVP Award
Haliburton was dominant throughout the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. In fact, he led the team in several categories, including assists (63) and steals (15). Nevertheless, he didn’t come away with the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals MVP award.
Tyrese Haliburton among Pacers this ECF:
2nd in points
1st in rebounds
1st in assists
1st in steals
1st in stocks
1st in threes (tied)Not enough to win MVP. pic.twitter.com/PV7Q7Qugyc
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 1, 2025
That honor went to fellow cornerstone Pascal Siakam instead. It was a narrow victory for the three-time All-Star, who received five of the nine votes. However, it’s a fair one, as Siakam’s takeover performances was a major factor in them shutting the door on the Knicks.
Pascal Siakam received five of the nine votes for Eastern Conference Finals MVP from a media panel covering the series. Tyrese Haliburton received the other four votes. pic.twitter.com/ZdpvJsRaTf
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) June 1, 2025
In the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, Siakam averaged 24.8 points and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 52.4 percent from the field. He scored 30 or more points in three of those contests, including Game 6. A multi-faceted forward who the Pacers acquired last January, he’s been key to their accelerated success.
Speech, Speech, Speech!
Following the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy presentation, he praised the franchise, from the fan base to the front office.
“First of all, shoutout Indy, man,” Siakam says. “It’s been such an amazing experience for me so far, from the first day I landed here. Like, the love’s been amazing.”
“(General manager) Chad (Buchanan), (president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard), just unbelievable, man. First-class organization, I’m just so happy to be here. And tonight, after a bad Game 5, we wanted to bounce back. I have like 100 percent belief in my teammates. Whenever we’re down, we always find a way, and we did that tonight.”
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
