Friday 31 May 2019 10:48, UK
Pascal Siakam's superb performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals should not surprise anyone, says Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
Third-year forward Siakam erupted for a playoff career-best 32 points as Toronto defeated the Golden State Warriors 118-109 at the ScotiaBank Arena to strike the first blow in the NBA Finals series.
Siakam is the leading contender for this season's Most Improved Player award after making a massive leap by posting regular season career-highs in points, assists, steals, assists and rebounds per game. He also built on his reputation as an elite defensive force and emerged as the Raptors' No 2 scoring option behind Kawhi Leonard.
He took another step forward in Game 1, draining 14-of-17 shots en route to a team-high tally on the game's biggest stage.
Speaking after the game, coach Nurse said: "I've heard a lot of people say things this year and ask [Pascal], 'are you surprised?'.
"And he keeps saying, 'no, this is what I have always envisioned for myself'. He believes in himself and he went to work at it."
Veteran Raptors center Marc Gasol, said of Siakam: "He does a great job of attacking those gaps, using his body, attacking the angles that the defense is giving you. I just like when he plays that aggressive. I think having a mindset of going for it and knowing that it's going to be okay, your team-mates have your back, your team-mates believe in you, that's all that matters and he knows that."
Warriors defensive specialist Draymond Green admitted Siakam has got the better of him in their head-to-head match-up.
"They got out in transition a lot. Our transitional defense was horrible tonight. I let [Siakam] get into a rhythm in the first half. I've got to do a better job of taking his rhythm away," he said.
"You have to take your hat off to him, even before this game, for what he has been able to accomplish this year."
Game 2 takes place in Toronto in the early hours of Monday morning (1am) live on Sky Sports Arena
