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NBA FINALS: WARRIORS VS. RAPTORS

May 31, 2019

Pascal Siakam

Toronto, Ontario - Practice Day

Q. Very curious to get your thoughts on what happened after the game? I'm sure after you had such a great game, kind of pop star status there, did your phone really blow up? And was this the greatest moment in your career so far?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I got a lot of messages. But I don't know, it didn't really feel that way. My family is here. I just hung out after the game, spending some time, quiet time with family. I think that's pretty much it.

Q. Was there any type of interaction with fans?
PASCAL SIAKAM: No.

Q. Because I would imagine if you would have gone out, it would have been probably pretty crazy.
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, no. Just hanging out with family.

Q. There's a small but passionate Cameroonian community here in Toronto that were obviously celebrating that game last night and your performance in that game. Do you know much about the Cameroonian community in Toronto?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I don't know much about the community in Toronto. But I live here. I have a lot of support from my fellow Cameroonians and just Africa in general. It feels great because you always know that Canada and especially in Toronto, the diversity is incredible. You have people from different countries and all together just cheering for one team. Obviously, having that support is amazing.

Q. Draymond Green has been up here a few times. When asked about you, the way he put it, he said, "He's become a guy in this league." And "Last year I would have never predicted that he would have done what he's done in this league." He went on to say, "I got to take him out of this series and that's on me." First of all, can he take you out of this series? And what do you think of the fact that you are now a target as far as Draymond Green, former Defensive Player of the Year?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I think for me, it's just going back and watching the film and looking at ways I can get better. Obviously, they're going to make adjustments and I have to be ready for whatever comes at me. And I think all year that's something that I've always done, kind of adjusting and getting better as the day goes on. I think that a little playoff experience and knowing games are going to be different -- you're going to have different looks than maybe you did the first game or whatever. For me, it's just about adjusting.

Q. Can you talk about the impact that Marc Gasol has on you when he's on the defensive end with you, and how much it allows you to roam free knowing he's there to sort of back you up.
PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, a former Defensive Player of the Year, a guy that has high basketball IQ, think there's always a sort of kind of comfort when he's on the floor with us. He's so smart and reads the defense, and also he's able to move and kind of protect the rim for us a little bit. I think it's definitely great to have him on our team. A guy like that, a vet that's been through it, he knows a lot of things. Just talking to him, he's always trying to help me be in the right position and things like that. So he's definitely helpful.

Q. As you and your team have climbed into The Finals, more and more fans are learning about your personal story, your journey. Wondering what you can share for a fan base about your journey, about your rise, and what has led you through adversity to the seat where you're sitting today?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I think that in terms of adversity, I went through something that I considered the hardest moment of my life when my dad passed away. I was in college and just away from my family. Thank God I had the support of my teammates and coaches in college that helped me go through it. But it was definitely one of the toughest moments in my life, and not being able to go home for the funeral and all that.

So it was definitely a moment where it kind of tested me as a man. Just being able to go through that and for me using that as a motivation, and something that's going to push me to do better things for my family and for myself, for my dad.

I think it was a turning point in my life, just going through that type of adversity. It definitely made me the person I am today.

Q. After Game 2 against Milwaukee you called that sort of a learning moment, the game you fouled out. What did you take from that game, and from maybe the series as a whole going up against Giannis, that has allowed you to grow as a player even on the fly here during the playoffs?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I think I always say, I learned a lot and I know I have a lot to learn. I think that's one of the advantages for me. I know I have so much to learn. I have to grow. It allows me to look at my mistakes and evaluate them and try to see how I can do better. Obviously, you never know. I mean, you get fouls and it's in your head and a lot of things like that. You just have to be smarter. That's something that I try to do, just try to be a little smarter and learning every single night out there on the court.

Q. Steve Kerr has compared you to Draymond. He says he thinks you're kind of a young Draymond Green. Do you see that parallel at all? And is Draymond someone that you kind of patterned yourself after in any way at any point in your career?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I think like I always say, I try to be myself as much as I can. That's always something that I've done. Even just starting to play the game and learning about the game of basketball, obviously I watched a lot of different players and guys that do different things, but for the most part I try to be myself and kind of work to be a better version of myself.

Q. We've talked a lot about how in the second round you saw a lot of Joel Embiid, especially when you got in the lane. And then in the Conference Finals you saw Giannis and Brook Lopez when you got in the lane. Did you notice there was less size and rim protection in that Golden State defense and how much did that allow you maybe to do some different things, some of the stuff you're more used to?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I think the one thing that I noticed is I was out in transition. That's always something that I've done all year. I think that was kind of like the first time during the playoffs where we kind of got out in transition a lot. I was just running and it just felt good. But I don't know, I think just taking whatever the defense gives me and whatever is there for me.

Q. Steve Kerr said that Toronto Raptors' speed in the transition game reminds him of his own team, of the Warriors. Do you see the similarities between the two teams?
PASCAL SIAKAM: I don't know. I couldn't really tell you. But I think something that we did last night that was good is transition. We were out running and that was good for us. In terms of similarities, I don't know.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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