The Indiana Pacers made history on Thursday as they went 1-0 up in the Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They came back from a 15-point deficit in the final quarter with Tyrese Haliburton sealing the game with microseconds left on the clock. But as glorious as their comeback was, Pascal Siakam knows the job isn’t over for the Pacers. And at the post-game press conference, he had a message for both his team and the fans.While he was glad they were able to come away with the win and the upper hand heading into Game 2, he also emphasized how they could not repeat this performance. That is to say, he thinks the Pacers need to play their game instead of playing catch-up with the Thunder.“So we gotta take care of the ball and I think in the second half you, we just kind of did a better job of just taking care of the ball a little bit. And again, they made some tough plays, and we just kept going. We just kept going. Like I said, we always know that we have a chance, so as long as we just keep playing and keep playing,” said Siakam. With 24 turnovers, he’s right in directing his teammates to take better care of the ball. After all, they showed they did massively clean up their act in the second half.19 of the 24 turnovers came in the first half for the Pacers. Meaning, they only had 5 in the second half. This allowed them to get back into it and eventually win the game. And it showed that they have the ability to be much better than they are — something Siakam saw as well. “I thought we settled into the game and we started playing our game a little bit more. But again, like I said, we have so much work to do. And we gotta get so much better just because we didn’t play to the level that we thought we could play,” said the Pacers veteran.Pascal made it clear that the Pacers still have a lot of work to do as they head into Game 2 on Sunday. But like we said earlier, it’s not just the players who need to be at their best in the next game at the Paycom Center. The veteran forward also had a request for the Indy faithful who showed up to their game tonight.Pascal Siakam asks the Indiana faithful for their support in this seriesNow, it goes without saying that the Indiana Pacers will need the support of their fans in this series. However, tonight, we saw something unusual. Despite how loud the Thunder fans were (and they were loud!), you could still hear the Indiana supporters cheering for their team. It was almost as if they refused to be drowned out. Much like their team, which refused to let this game slip.It seems the fans’ spirit rubbed off on the Pacers as they slowly clawed their way back into the game. And while Pascal Siakam was grateful for their support, he beseeched his fans to bring the same energy on Sunday and in the remaining games of this series.May 12, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) and center Myles Turner (33) guard Andrew Nembhard (2) celebrate a made basket during game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports“You still have the Pacers faithful here, and you can hear them. That was huge. Shout out to those guys, man. Just they’re so passionate about us, and we’re so blessed to have them as fans. And I’m just, all the people that were here just cheering us on and in such a tough environment. But yeah, shout out to them. We’re gonna need their support — obviously here and then also when we at home,” said Pascal.From what we saw tonight, it’s virtually a guarantee that the Indy fans will come through for Pascal. But can his teammates do the same and heed his words? Or will the Oklahoma City Thunder actually punish them for their sloppy ball retention in Game 2? We will only find out once Sunday rolls around.The post Pacers Locker Room Receives Key Directive as Pascal Siakam Sends Clear Message to Indiana Fans appeared first on EssentiallySports.