Once again T.J. McConnell proved a catalyst for the Indiana Pacers. The backup point guard scored 12 points in the Pacers’ 108-91 Game 6 win of the NBA Finals and got the Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd into a frenzy with his hustle plays.
He added nine rebounds, six assists and four steals as the Pacers forced a decisive Game 7 back in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
In his postgame interview on NBA TV, McConnell’s dad, Tim McConnell — one of Western Pennsylvania’s most-accomplished high school basketball coaches — crashed the party.
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Tim was particularly tickled at the chance to talk with Isiah Thomas, admitting he was a “big fan.”
“I’ll tell you right now, he’s a warrior… it doesn’t matter how tall you are,” Tim said of his son, who is listed at 6-1.
“What do you think of his performance tonight?” NBA TV’s Jared Greenberg asked.
“Excellent. Just disappointed he missed two foul shots in the beginning,” Tim said. “I kept saying, ‘Man, I wish he had made those two foul shots, but he recovered, and we won the game, so I could forget about the foul shots.
“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 it, and I can’t believe that.”
McConnell’s sister Megan is on the Phoenix Mercury, which led to a follow-up question from Isiah:
“Why were you harder on him and softer on your daughter?”
“He says that, that’s a lie,” Tim said.
“It’s true,” T.J. responded.
“My daughter was an undefeated state championship. He lost in the state championship. We lost two games. So, undefeated…,” Tim said with a shrug. “… He played great, but we didn’t win it… The truth hurts… And now she’s with the Mercury and I couldn’t be more proud to say, ‘I have a son in the NBA and I have a daughter in the WNBA. This is a dream come true. And I’m going to OKC for my son to play in a championship game and win the world championship.”
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This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: T.J. McConnell’s dad crashes son’s postgame interview: ‘He’s a warrior… it doesn’t matter how tall you are’
Reporting by Matthew Glenesk, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
