If Game Two of 2025’s East Finals were a late-night newscast, the top story headline might read: Indiana Pacers find out how much easier championship pursuits are after acquiring an All-Star and former NBA champion — more at 11. Long used to the postseason’s pressures, Pascal Siakam turned postseason game No. 82 into a never-before-seen type, overwhelming the New York Knicks from the literal first minute. A quiet producer of six consecutive 20-point-scoring seasons, Siakam unleashed the full repertoire on May 23, 2025, headlined first by an early-game race of the floor in transition, setting up a two-handed flush. As if dared to punish New York from every floor level, Siakam also incorporated pump-fake-and-finish and-ones and spot-up triples into the itinerary, eventually reaping rewards through a 39-point output (on 15-of-23), alongside a five-rebound, three-assist, one-steal, three-triple complement. Winning back-to-back playoff games on an opponent’s home floor requires some rare mixture of execution and delusion; for Siakam — having done so six different times — it was merely another day of the week. On the backs of a 24.8-point average, “Spicy P” edged out his just-as-brilliant teammate by one vote, earning the Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Award for his efforts. · May 23, 2025