If you watched the crazy Pacers vs. Bucks Game 5 last night, you already know one thing for sure: former Raptors cornerstone Pascal Siakam can celebrate, as he’s moving on to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Meanwhile, another Raptors alum, Gary Trent Jr., had a surprising playoff burst for the Bucks that made it look like he was about to become a star—until two costly turnovers wiped that momentum away in an instant.
But alas, for Raptors fans, there’s still one beloved former player who seems ready to keep rising in the playoffs. And when we talk about Siakam, we’re not just referring to a supporting role—"Spicy P" is showing everyone that he's the veteran winner a young team needs (it just sucks he had to leave Toronto). As teammate Tyrese Haliburton pointed out, Siakam is proving to be the perfect leader to help push his team forward.
I came across an interesting note on X from basketball content creator @OmerOsman200. It highlighted Pascal Siakam's success in the playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks over the years. I've attached the post below for reference:
Pascal Siakam has always triumphed over the Bucks in NBA Playoffs
Even with a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the Bucks, Siakam and his teams—the Raptors and now the Pacers—have still managed to get the best of Milwaukee in the end. Their success hasn't been stopped by Giannis's star power, his supporting castmates, or more recently, a lackthereof.
Looking back at Siakam’s years in Toronto, especially while the team was figuring out their direction, I sometimes forgot just how much of a playoff threat he can be.
Even that tough 2020 bubble year, which some people used to doubt his ability to step up in the postseason, doesn’t really tell the whole story. That’s not his best form in the playoffs. In the years since, he’s shown he can be a really reliable and impactful player when it matters most.
I'm not really saying that Siakam is the Bucks' worst playoff nightmare or anything like that either. Just looking at his playoff stats alone wouldn’t make you think he's the only guy capable of tearing teams apart. But if Siakam is set to face Milwaukee, he can probably take pride in the fact that, so far, they haven't been able to stop him from making it further in the playoffs.
So, in that sense, yeah, Siakam definitely is a problem.
You could argue that in certain years—like during the 2019 playoffs or even last year—the Bucks should have been in a strong position to beat Siakam. Still, he managed to pull off the win despite those expectations.
Call it luck or just coincidence, but you can't deny the facts—Siakam’s playoff run has mostly gone well when he faces the Milwaukee Bucks.