We’re four games into a thrilling NBA Finals, and the outcome of the series is still a complete mystery. The Oklahoma City Thunder, with MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Coach of the Year Mark Daigneault and a ridiculously deep, 68-win roster that includes Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams were huge betting favorites when the series began. Just as they have all postseason long, though, the Indiana Pacers have proven to be much better than their status as a 4-seed would indicate.
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Anybody with a pulse knows by now what Tyrese Haliburton has done in authoring the single most clutch playoff run in history. Haliburton has put claims of being overrated to bed by drilling game-winners with stunning regularity, but has also gotten great support from the rest of the team.
Pascal Siakam was the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and he’s again stuffed the stat sheet against the Thunder. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith have provided relentless defense and shooting, while Bennedict Mathurin has been instant offense off the bench.
One underrated guy who’s still managed to make a big impact is TJ McConnell. The backup point guard has averaged just 17 minutes per game in this series, but without him, it’s likely that the Pacers would be down 3-1 and on the brink of being eliminated.
Dwyane Wade gave McConnell his due on the most recent episode of his Time Out podcast. “He’s a game-changer. He’s an impact player. When he’s impacting a game, when he’s pressuring 94 feet, turning you, getting turnovers, getting steals, bro, it’s unbelievable.”
McConnell definitely did that in Game 3, a huge Pacers win that wouldn’t have been possible without his impactful defense and ability to share the ball. His 10 point, five assist, five steal game was the first of its kind in Finals history and he was a big reason why the Pacers were able to quickly erase an eight-point deficit to start the second quarter.
McConnell’s defense sent the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd into a frenzy, especially his final steal when he picked off an Alex Caruso inbound and laid it in to tie the game with over eight minutes left.
Wade emphasized how the Thunder are making a mistake by overlooking McConnell when he’s on the court. “When he goes 1-on-1, no one helps. They leave him wide open to just dribble around and do what he wants, but he’s really f***** good at playing in space. For me, I actually wouldn’t allow him to get that space.”
The Thunder only lost at home five times during the regular season, but they’re 1-1 against the Pacers at the Paycom Center this series. Indiana is going to need to win at least one more away from home to become NBA champs, and seeing as how they’ve won 10 straight games after a loss, tonight’s game looks like their best chance.
Everyone is looking to SGA vs. Haliburton as the matchup that’s going to determine who wins tonight’s pivotal Game 5, but McConnell could be the X-factor that swings the game, the series and the title.
