The Pacers need more T.J. McConnell against Knicks to stay alive in NBA Playoffs

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Pacers keep taking their one of their most effective players off floor vs. the Knicks in the NBA Playoffs.

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks were set for a thrilling finish to Game 2 of their second round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Pacers guard T.J. McConnell hit a tough finish inside the arc to make it a one-point game with about eight minutes remaining in regulation. After Josh Hart drained a three-pointer on the following possession, McConnell set up teammate Pascal Siakam for a mid-range bucket.

That’s when Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle decided to sub out McConnell for guard Andrew Nembhard. From then on out, the Pacers’ offense died and the Knicks finished strong to take a 2-0 series lead.

The Knicks beat the Pacers, 130-121, to win both games at Madison Square Garden to start the series. Indiana logged a comical 78 complaints about the officiating at the start of the series to the league office, but the Pacers might want to look at the mirror about why they really collapsed in Game 2.

McConnell has been Indiana’s secret weapon throughout this series. With McConnell on the floor, the Pacers are outscoring the Knicks by 19 points through the first two games. Indiana is getting smoked when he goes to the bench. So why did Carlisle have McConnell glued to the bench for the end of the game?

It’s easy to think this might be a small sample size fluke if you aren’t watching the games, but those locked in to this series can see the very real impact McConnell is making. He’s been Indiana’s only hope of even halfway slowing down Brunson, and he’s also been critical to making the offense go.

Brunson scored 11 points down the stretch after McConnell checked out, with most of them coming on Nembhard. Meanwhile, the Pacers offense couldn’t keep up on the other end without the veteran’s steady hand of scoring and facilitating.

The 32-year-old McConnell went undrafted out of Arizona in 2015 after starting his college career at Duquesne. He latched on with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he carved out a place in the league as a defensive pest off the bench. He signed with the Pacers in free agency in 2019, and he’s been a staple on Indiana’s second unit ever since.

McConnell has never been spectacular, but he’s always been an irritant. You can feel it every time he’s on the floor in this series. There’s no stopping Brunson in these NBA Playoffs, but McConnell can at least make him work, picking him up full court and applying ball pressure every time he has the rock. Somehow, McConnell has also been electric as a scorer and playmaker in this series. New York just doesn’t know how to slow him down.

McConnell had 10 points and 12 assists in 23 minutes in Game 2 after being similarly brilliant in Game 1. While younger guards like Nembhard are struggling to adjust to the physicality of the playoffs, McConnell is up for the task.

He’s been absolutely fearless in attacking the defense, and it’s helped Indiana stay in the game every time he’s on the floor.

Knicks fans are breathing a deep sigh of relief when McConnell checks out. Pacers fans are losing their minds. It’s rare for a career role player to have this big of an impact on a series, but it also makes some sense when you factor in the bright lights of Madison Square Garden and the extra physicality the Knicks play with.

It’s easy for younger guards to get overwhelmed, but McConnell isn’t scared of the moment.

The NBA Playoffs are all about adjustments over the course of a series. One easy adjustment for the Pacers is more T.J. McConnell.