Siakam on Raptors’ playoff preparation: ‘We have to be ready’

Yahoo Sports Canada Videos

Thu, Mar 24, 2022, 11:13 p.m.

With nine games left in the regular season, Raptors forward Pascal Siakam understands the importance and responsibility of being ready for the postseason — especially after a crucial win over the Cavaliers.

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Video Transcript

- [INAUDIBLE]

- [INAUDIBLE] wake up this morning and just decide you were going to take a bunch of 3's and make them all?

PASCAL SIAKAM: Oh. [LAUGHS] I don't know, maybe. No, I just think that we've been working on it. And I be talking to one of the coaches, John, and-- well, we call him 6-9-- and, you know [INAUDIBLE] and all those people I work out with. And we've been talking about increasing my-- the amount of shots that I take, you know? So yeah, we've been working on that a lot.

And you know, yeah, it was going in. And when it goes in, you feel like shooting more. So yeah, it felt good.

- With OG up there, does it open things up a little more, too? I mean, you hit some early ones.

PASCAL SIAKAM: For sure, for sure. There's another person out there you can kick the ball to, you know? And I think that he's going to be open. And if they dare-- they help off of him, I mean, it's going to be always open. And he's-- he's going to make those shots. So I'm definitely glad to have him back.

Obviously, he's not where he probably wants to be. But it just felt super good to have him out there, you know, someone else to kick the ball to. And you know, that's going to make plays. And he's going to come out and play defense.

Yeah, so I was really impressed with, you know, the fact that he hasn't played, and he came back and he played like he did today. So yeah, good job to OG.

- Coach Bickerstaff was talking before the game about how there was maybe a playoff-type feel around this game because of the stakes. After you made that shot over Markkanen plus the foul, Scottie throwing those mock punches at you, although he might do that in January, I don't know--

PASCAL SIAKAM: [LAUGHS]

- Did this game feel bigger that much to you, or was it just sort of--

PASCAL SIAKAM: No, I mean, it was a good game. It was a big game, you know? I think every game is a big game.

Like, we talked about yesterday, it's what, 9, 10 games left. It's like all these games count. So when we go out there, that's our mentality, trying to win every single one of them. And I think, yeah, like, it's a big opponent. You know, they're in front of us in the standings. And we're trying to crawl up out there. So yeah, it was a big game.

- In order to get the big win at home, because you guys have had some games here that you kind of left behind [INAUDIBLE]

PASCAL SIAKAM: What do you mean left behind?

- Close games you might have won.

PASCAL SIAKAM: Oh. But no, yeah, I think, again, coming out-- like I said, those 10 games or whatever that we have left in this season is super important. And we have a good stretch home. And we want to be able to come out with some energy, play hard, and get wins at home. That's kind of like our advantage. And we want to keep that.

And again, it's been weird. You know, sometimes it was fan or no fans. Like, it's been a weird year a little bit at home. But I think that, you know, the guys are conscious of it, and we want to come out and give our effort every single night, at home, especially.

- Played some super physical ones in Denver and Phoenix on that trip. Did this one even come close to that? It looked kind of physical.

PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, no, yeah, all these games are physical. To me, it feels like it's physical every single night, you know, just driving. And just the physicality with someone that has the ball most of the time, it's like, you know-- like, you can feel it, for sure. So yeah, it feels like that every night for me, I would say.

- Nick said recently that he feels like you guys have seen everything there is to see, you guys are ready. Do you feel that way, that few games left, you're ready for the playoffs, and--

PASCAL SIAKAM: I think, yeah, I think-- again, there's how many games left? So like, we have to be ready. So you know, we had a long year, a lot of ups and downs.

But I just think that at this point of the season, it's just continuing to improve as a team, and also just little things that we want to do, knowing situations in a game. And I think more familiarity playing with those guys and kind of everyone understanding like, OK, when we need something, we know where to go. And I think that that's super important for the playoffs.

- OK, two questions in English online, and then two in French for you, Pascal. So go ahead, Josh Lewenberg.

JOSH LEWENBERG: Hey, Pascal, congrats on the win. Thad was really good on the court tonight. But with these games getting more and more important as we get closer to the playoffs, how much is he making his presence felt in-between games, like off the court with the preparation and all that stuff?

PASCAL SIAKAM: Yeah, no, even on the sidelines, he's constantly talking and giving his input. And again, a lot of years of basketball under his belt-- under his belt. So definitely a source out there, someone that we can talk to.

And even in practice, you know, he's always vocal, and trying to help as much as he can. So yeah, like, we're definitely glad to have a veteran like him on our side, and someone that has seen a lot of basketball in his life.

JOSH LEWENBERG: Thanks, Pascal. Have a good night, man.

PASCAL SIAKAM: Thank you.

- Go ahead, Oren.

- Hey, Pascal, I'm wondering how you guys were able to kind of dictate the pace of the game a little bit. You guys really outscored them in the fast break points. You got more steals than them. You know, how do you do that against teams that know that that's what you guys like to do? And how do you do that still?

PASCAL SIAKAM: Right, I think every team knows that. So I think that every team come in, and they watch film, and-- but at the same time, again, that's the identity of the team. Like, that's who we are. And we got to go out there, try to impose our will every single night.

We have guys that can defend. And we've got to try to use every single night. So I think that going into games, that's what we're thinking.

- All right, thank you.

- [INAUDIBLE] take questions in French. Go ahead, Etienne.

- [SPEAKING FRENCH]