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Roland Beech: Game 7 Preview — Physicality/Playing Hard Series Summary I tracked all six games so far of the NBA Finals for physicality + hard play effort using the ‘Roland Playing Hard’ framework. It’s not just about who wants it more—it’s how they show it: • Indiana leads 4–2 by game in physicality/effort "wins" • +13 Physicality wins, +49 Playing Hard Effort wins • +33 in Level 2+ force physical plays • 6 of the top 8 effort players are Pacers ...Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton, Alex Caruso the most "effort wins" TJ McConnell the top in effort wins per 36 minutes Game 7 is Sunday. If Indiana wins, don’t say it’s a fluke—say they out-worked OKC. Full leaderboard + series data coming soon.
He also posted, “Instead of focusing on the performances we seen from Jdub/Shai [Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], Tj/Siakam [T.J. McConnell and Pascal Siakam], how this series is going,” Morant continued. “We say [something] negative about a city/team on a national level.” The tweet seemingly made it's way back to Stephen A. Smith, which prompted him to make a long post saying: “So this is what we’re doing now @JaMorant? I recall talking about the Finals. But the @memgrizz made news because of Bane getting traded. AND, your possible extension coming up. Would you prefer I go into detail about WTH has been going on in Memphis? Why players have stated they’re not interested in going? Or even MORE details? Or would you like me to leave well enough alone, and let the great peeps of Memphis address it on their own? Your call! I’m all ears!”
The topic on the show “First Take” was about whether the team should move on from Morant, where Smith spoke about how the destination is not a “safe environment,” even saying that players have told him that. This garnered the attention of Morant, who took to X, formerly Twitter, and critiqued how the coverage is on the team rather than the current NBA Finals and even called out his “sources.” “Instead of focusing on the performances we seen from Jdub/Shai [Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], Tj/Siakam [T.J. McConnell and Pascal Siakam], how this series is going,” Morant continued. “We say [something] negative about a city/team on a national level.”
Dan Devine: Rick Carlisle on TJ McConnell: "He was great in the third. Put him back in earlier than normal. He was very tired, that's why we got him out. And I think there was a play early in the fourth where it looked like fatigue had set in there."
Ahead of that campaign, the team organized a trip to Nashville, Tennessee to get together ahead of the season. They bonded and worked hard on the hardwood. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and the newly-added Bruce Brown were the leaders when it came to planning that trip. Turner showed up and was struck by the attendance. “Just seeing everybody’s ability man… seeing the dedication,” Turner recalled of the team playing in the Music City. They were able to get on the same page before the season even started, and only T.J. McConnell (recently became a dad) and Daniel Theis (coming off of international play) didn’t make the trip. It was as close to a training camp as a possible given how much of the roster made the trek.
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TJ McConnell: Cam Johnson’s my guy. I love that dude. But to say I was the Michael Jordan of Pittsburgh it's egregious. It's probably the most egregious stand I've ever made in my life. It's ridiculous. I had a really good high school career and I shot the ball a bunch. I had the ultimate green light. I had great teammates who just kept passing it to me and my dad was my coach who just pushed me to get where I'm at today. Going Division I at Duquesne and Arizona even I slowly started to transition to know that um I'm going to be a point guard. I was more of a shooting guard in high school and shot a ton of threes.
How am I supposed to convey in words that does any justice to the unfathomable way the Indiana Pacers just closed out the first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a Game 5 victory by a final score of 119-118 after trailing by seven points with 40 seconds left? “That’s the craziest game I’ve ever been a part of,” TJ McConnell said afterwards. “I’m still trying to process it,” Myles Turner added. “One of the craziest games that I’ve personally been a part of. We never stopped believing.”
Scott Agness: T.J. McConnell (right ankle sprain) is questionable for Friday in Miami. He did make the trip after sitting out the past two games.
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Scott Agness: T.J. McConnell, who suffered a right ankle sprain late in Sunday's win, has been ruled out for tonight v Nuggets. He was listed as questionable all day, but two-way guard RayJ Dennis was held out of the Mad Ants game; that was a tell. fieldhousefiles.com/p/pacers-start…
Ben Sheppard isn’t going to have glossy stat sheets in the early portion of his career. He’s going to do the dirty work and whatever it takes to help win ball games, which is why the Pacers have grown fond of him as quickly as they have. “I'd say TJ [McConnell] and James Johnson showing me the ropes,” Sheppard told RG of who’s helped him the most in his first two years. “Those are my vets, and I look up to 'em on and off the court.”
T.J. McConnell was in his third year with the Wildcats. After starting his career at Duquesne, he transferred to Arizona in 2012 and became the team’s strongest voice. A decade or so later, as McConnell is set for induction Wednesday night into the program’s Ring of Honor, those present at that 2014 practice recall McConnell’s actions differently but not the impact they made. In a phone conversation from Ohio, where he coaches the Xavier Musketeers, Miller said McConnell lit into Johnson. “You’re not the only one that’s here to accomplish things. You’re not the only one that cares about what you’re going to do. We all care. And you’re basically now in the way of us accomplishing these things that we all want to accomplish. You’re not the solution. You’re actually part of the problem, and quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of it.”
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