The Pacers are heading to the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history after Game 6's 125-108 win over the Knicks. Indiana has three championships in its history, but all of them came when the team was part of the ABA and prior to the league merger in 1976. The Pacers' lone previous trip to the Finals came in 2000 when they lost in six games to the Lakers.
Indiana rolled to begin the playoffs, advancing past Milwaukee and Cleveland in the first two rounds, winning both series 4-1. Despite more attention being on the Knicks after their series win over Boston, Indiana went to New York and won both games on the road to begin the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Pacers dropped the third game of the series at home but rebounded with a big nine-point win in Game 4. Indiana had the chance to clinch the series in Game 5, but New York held strong at home. The series returned to Indiana, and the home crowd fueled its team to a huge win.
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The Pacers are now heading to the NBA Finals to take on the Thunder, and it's safe to say they wouldn't be in that position without star power forward Pascal Siakam, who was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP after Game 6.
MORE KNICKS-PACERS:
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- Breaking down Tyrese Haliburton's case for ECF MVP
- What went wrong for the Knicks vs. Pacers in ECF?
- What's next for the Knicks in pivotal 2025 offseason?
- 'Inside the NBA' crew signs off after final TNT broadcast
Here's more on why Siakam earned the Larry Bird Trophy.
Who won Eastern Conference Finals MVP?
It felt like through the first four games of the series, the Eastern Conference Finals MVP was going to be point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Then, he disappeared in Indiana's Game 5 loss. He had a rough shooting night and didn't adjust to the defense that focused on him.
His slow game continued at the start of Game 6, and he didn't ramp up his production until later in the second half. This paved the way for his teammate Pascal Siakam to put the team on his back and pass him in the voter's eyes.
Siakam had a solid series, performing well in every game despite being overshadowed by Haliburton's heroics early on. The big man had three 30-point outings in the series, including almost single-handedly winning Game 2 with a 39-point showing and putting things out of reach with a 31-point finale in Game 6.
He didn't have as bad of a Game 5 as his point guard did, and the fact that he got out to a hot start in Game 6 is likely what led to him winning the award. Many voters likely submitted their picks before Haliburton went off down the stretch in the fourth quarter, but make no mistake, Siakam was certainly worthy of receiving the Larry Bird Trophy with his consistent performances throughout the series.
Pascal Siakam 2025 Eastern Conference Finals stats
Here are Siakam's per-game stats from the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals.
| Game | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | FG% | 3FG% | FT% |
| 1 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 43.8% | 0.0% | 60.0% |
| 2 | 39 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 65.2% | 60.0% | 75.0% |
| 3 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 60.0% |
| 4 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 52.4% | 75.0% | 83.3% |
| 5 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 38.5% | 33.3% | 50.0% |
| 6 | 31 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 55.5% | 60.0% | 72.7% |
| Per-Game Totals | 24.8 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 52.4% | 50.0% | 67.4% |
Pascal Siakam had three different games this series with at least:
— Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) June 1, 2025
30+ points
2 or fewer turnovers
50.0+ FG%
60.0+ 3P%
No other player in NBA HISTORY has had three such games in a single series. pic.twitter.com/nRKwU4vg6O
Why is the Eastern Conference Finals MVP called the Larry Bird Trophy?
Ahead of the 2022 playoffs, the NBA decided that an MVP award would be given to the best player in the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. Just like the NBA Finals MVP is named after Bill Russell, the East and West are named after Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, respectively.
The Larry Bird Trophy is given to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP in honor of Hall of Fame Celtics forward Larry Bird. Bird won three championships and made five Finals in his 13-year career with Boston.
His counterpart, Magic Johnson, won five rings and made nine Finals appearances in 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Western Conference Finals MVP is named after him. The two Hall of Famers battled against each other throughout the 1980s.
Larry Bird Trophy winners
Here are the players who have won the Larry Bird trophy.
| Player | Team | Year |
| Jayson Tatum | Boston Celtics | 2022 |
| Jimmy Butler | Miami Heat | 2023 |
| Jaylen Brown | Boston Celtics | 2024 |
| Pascal Siakam | Indiana Pacers | 2025 |