Forward Pascal Siakam made an emotional return to Toronto on Wednesday, hitting a bank shot to seal the Pacers’ victory.
“I tried to stay focused on the game as much as I could, but it [was] just hard, just coming in here and seeing so many familiar faces and reflecting on everything,” Siakam told reporters. “Coming back here after eight years, just to see the reception and people being so genuinely happy for me, I think for me that was the most important thing. … I couldn’t really ever dream of that. It means a lot, so I appreciate everyone for everything. I’m humbled.”
Siakam was traded to the Pacers last month in a deal that delivered guard Bruce Brown to the Raptors.
“It feels amazing,” Siakam said of his time with the Pacers. “[From the moment I got to Indiana] it’s just been so much love, so much appreciation and just like overly supportive in everything. It feels good to be in a place like that. I’m just looking forward to continuing to be there and just have an opportunity to do something special with that team.”
Guard/forward Isaac Okoro tied his career-high with four 3-pointers and was a major factor in the Cavs’ ability to overcome a 17-point deficit to beat the Bulls on Wednesday.
It’s all part of Cleveland’s never-say-die approach.
“This team just has fight, that never-give-up mentality, like we needed today,” Okoro said. “When we got down, we kept fighting and were more physical, aggressive pushing it and playing faster on offense.”
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