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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: 'I genuinely believe that playing hard is a skill'
TJ McConnell: I genuinely believe that playing hard is a skill because if it wasn't everyone would do it. And when I came in and like I'm trying to tell you about this guy Chris Babcock. He's like ‘you need to stand out, nobody picks up full court and you need to make that your calling card’. And so we got in the gym three times a day, got in elite shape, and he's like, ‘You're going to pick everyone up full court, and that's what you're going to hang your hat on.’ And it's something that I've created an identity about.
TJ McConnell on Kawhi Leonard's shot vs. Sixers in 2019: One of the craziest shots I've ever seen
TJ McConnell on Kawhi Leonard’s shot vs. Sixers: So, I'm on the sidelines and he shoots it and hits the front of the rim and a bunch of us are like, "All right, like overtime." And it bounced off the rim again. And I heard someone in the back of the bench be like, "What the f*ck?" And then it bounced on the other side of the rim and then just drops in. And I'm like, "What in the f*ck just happened?”. Like the one of the craziest shots I've ever seen. I mean, the bounce was in incredible. I don't know if it was the Air Canada Center at that time, but it was so loud and you're kind of just like like honestly what the f*ck just happened and you walk back and you have time to process it and it was a really shitty feeling.
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.”
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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.
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…
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