LeBron James believes one Indiana Pacers star made a difference to the team and helped him take him to Game 7 in the NBA Finals.
It’s night tonight. For the first time since 2016, the NBA Championship will be decided in Game 7.
The Thunder has been a favorite to reach this stage from the beginning of the season. But no one expected the Pacers to come this far. In fact, Kendrick Perkins said the Pacers would miss the playoffs at the start of the season.
But their roster never lost faith. In fact, Pascal Siakam held a meeting of the Pacers team ahead of the season, ensuring they understand their goals.
Now they’re one win from the franchise first NBA championship. And according to LeBron James, the Pacers have one player who is grateful for taking them to this stage.
LeBron James appeared at Fanatics Fest this weekend. During a live episode of “Mind the Game,” James discussed the NBA Finals.
The last Game 7 Finals headed the team at this point in the series, earning Pacer bench star TJ McConnell.
“Looking at TJ McConnell, he’s not the tallest or fastest guy, but I don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s an important reason why tomorrow night’s Game 7 has.”
James gives a fair point about McConnell. No one would have expected McConnell to have the impact he had in this series.
However, he is the maker of the real difference in this series, and the Pacers are pleased with some wins over the Thunder.
Numbers don’t lie. The TJ McConnell is great for the pacers when you get out of the bench. Tyreese Halliburton suffers from injuries, but McConnell was a reliable performer for them.
This is his stat line for all six games in the NBA Finals so far. His production at both the offensive and defensive end of the court.
| game | statistics |
| Game 1 | 9 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steel |
| Game 2 | 11 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steel |
| Game 3 | 10 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 5 steel |
| Game 4 | 8 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 0 steel |
| Game 5 | 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steel |
| Game 6 | 12 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steel |
McConnell looks like JJ Barea, a player he relied on from the bench to win the 2011 NBA Championship with Dallas Mavericks.
Like LeBron James, Lou Williams claims that TJ McConnell is key to his NBA Finals fight.
Heading into Game 7, McConnell becomes an important star for the Pacers if they want to beat the OKC Thunder to win the NBA Championship.