T.J. McConnell’s dad not satisfied with son’s performance even after historic series off the bench

T.J. McConnell and the Indiana Pacers kept their title hopes alive with a 108-91 Game 6 win over the OKC Thunder on Thursday, thanks to McConnell’s fine form off the bench. However, despite his historic series, McConnell’s dad expressed dissatisfaction over his son’s performance.

During a post-game interview with NBA TV, McConnell was discussing his performance when his dad crashed the interview. Although happy with the win, T.J. McConnel Sr. highlighted a major flaw in his son’s performance.

“Excellent, just disappointed he missed two foul shots in the beginning. I kept saying, ‘Man, I wish he’d made those two foul shots.’ But he recovered, and we won the game. So, I can forget about the foul shots,” he said.

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Although critical of his son's performance initially McConnell's dad expressed his pride.

"Anything can happen in Game 7. We're going to OKC to try and win a world championship, and my son is a part of that, and I cannot believe that," he remarked.

T.J. McConnell is having a historic season off the bench for the Pacers as they hunt for their first NBA title. The guard is the first bench player in Finals history to record 60+ points, 25+ assists, and 15+ rebounds as he produced another great performance in Game 6.

The former 76er recorded 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists on Thursday, maintaining a box plus/minus of +10 when on the court. His performance helped the Pacers force a Game 7 as they return to Oklahoma on Sunday.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton lauds T.J. McConnell for his impressive performances: "He's the great white hope."

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton offered huge praise to his teammate T.J. McConnell as he continued impressing off the bench. McConnell has been a consistent performer for the Pacers in the series, averaging 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

During a post-game interview, Haliburton was asked to describe McConnell's impact on games. The star lauded his teammates' performances, explaining his importance to the team.

"He's unbelievable, he is unbelievable. I don't even have the words. He's the great white hope, it's what we call him," Haliburton expressed. "He is just amazing, continues to get downhill, put pressure on the defense, he's unbelievable," he continued.

Going undrafted during the 2015 NBA Draft, McConnell has had a historic resurgence. The guard has been the go-to player off the bench and is now a game away from creating history with the Pacers.

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About the author

Arian Kashyap

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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