When one of this generation’s best defenders calls you a problem, any other outside criticism starts to lose its lustre.

Golden State Warriors defensive stalwart Draymond Green had some high praise for Pacers forward Pascal Siakam after the latter delivered a performance for the ages in Indiana’s Game 2 win over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I lost my matchup to Julius Randle [in Round 2],” Green prefaced. “The only other time I really felt like I lost my matchup in a series was against Pascal Siakam. When we played Toronto, his championship [in 2019] … he destroyed me.

“It’s hard to figure out because it’s not like a set play to where you can key on one move, it’s just like random action. And he finds a way to get the points. He’s an extremely tough cover.”

The former Raptor had himself a game on Friday night, lighting up the Knicks for 39 points to steer the Pacers to a 114-109 win. He was efficient from all over the court, shooting 15-of-23 from the field and three-of-five from long range while adding five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

His 39 points were a playoff career-high, eclipsing a 37-point performance from last season against the Milwaukee Bucks.

But the performance Green may recall the most was in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in 2019, when Siakam guided the Raptors to a series-opening win with 32 points on a ridiculous 14-of-17 from the field (82.4 per cent) and two-of-three from range.

“He’s a very tough cover,” Green said. “It reminds me of Boris Diaw… as soon as you touch his body he’ll spin off you. So you can never get leverage on him.”

Overall in that Finals series, Siakam averaged 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 50.5 per cent from the field. He was Toronto’s second-leading scorer behind Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, all while being primarily guarded by the one-time defensive player of the year Green.

Siakam is well-known for his exploits at Madison Square Garden as well, having scored his career-high of 52 points against the Knicks in 2023 while still a member of the Raptors.

With the Pacers up 2-0 in the semifinal set, the series heads to Indiana, where Siakam and Co. will try to advance to the NBA Finals back on homecourt. Game 3 of the series will take place Sunday.