Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam continues dominance in Game 1 of NBA FInals

The Toronto Raptors came away with the win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals thanks in large part to the impressive play of Pascal Siakam.

Well, that was fun. The Toronto Raptors just showed the Golden State Warriors they mean business with their 118-109 win in Game 1.

There were many reasons why the Raptors were able to come away with the win but a big reason was Pascal Siakam and the way he dominated the Warriors at both ends of the court. The 25-year-old finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

From start to finish, Spicy P was all over the Warriors and showed a lot of composure finding better shots and not hesitating when he had open looks from three. Just to put his performance in perspective, Siakam shot 82.4 per cent from the field was 66.7 percent from beyond the arc.

There was a block on Draymond Green in the fourth quarter with the Warriors trying to cut into the lead. At first it looked like Green was going to drive to the net after getting past Pascal but he used his incredible athleticism and length to get his hand on it.

https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1134300130147033093

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There had been so much talk about Kawhi Leonard being the best player in this series and while he still is, seeing Siakam step up like this is an encouraging development. Last season coming off the bench he was averaging 6.6 points per game and that improved to 18.7 going into the Finals.

If getting nominated for the Most Improved Player Award wasn’t enough, it’s safe to say the NBA should know what Siakam is capable of now. It is crazy to think Siakam has only been playing basketball for seven years and probably wouldn’t be here if not for the Basketball Without Borders program.

One thing Golden State made it a point to do, especially early on, was to double Kawhi and force him to move the ball which he had no problem doing.

What could have hurt the Raptors is if shots made by Danny Green, Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet didn’t go in. Not to mention, Leonard was pretty quiet by his standards and fortunately for the Raptors, the rest of the lineup took on the challenge.

An underrated performance had to be Gasol considering he was asked to do a lot defensively and was a force especially on a couple of plays against Steph Curry. He was also more confident shooting when he had the ball even though he is known for his ball moving ability.

Now the real test will be to avoid getting too complacent heading into Game 2 because to have a 2-0 lead heading to Oakland will give the team some breathing room. You also know the Raptors are capable of taking a game on the road in hostile environments so buckle up everyone.

What are your thoughts on Game 1? Who’s performance impressed you the most and what do they need to do to continue this roll they are on? Let us know in the comments below.