In times of crisis, there are scores and assists. The Pacers substitute point guard helped the team through the difficulties?

In a previous NBA Finals G1 game, the Indiana Pacers completed a comeback in the final quarter and narrowly defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder who played at home with a quasi-final win of the backcourt core Tyrese Haliburton. After this game, the Pacers took the lead in the series, leading the opponent 1-0 with a total score, and gaining a psychological advantage.

In this game, the Pacers' substitute point guard TJ McConnell also maintained a stable level. McConnell played 16 minutes and 33 seconds in the game, made 4 of 6 shots and 1 of 1 from outside the three-point line, scored 9 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 1 steal, and had 3 turnovers and 1 foul, with a plus-negative value of -13. McConnell scored 9 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in various ways when the team was in a bad situation in the first half and the players did not get into the state, which also helped the team stabilize the situation. It is no exaggeration to say that if McConnell had not been assisted and scored, the Pacers might have been behind in the first half of the game, and there would have been no counterattack or reversals. Although the data seems not very good and the positive and negative values ​​are relatively average, from the actual situation, McConnell has also made considerable contributions to the team's victory.

In the NBA regular season this season, McConnell made a total of 79 appearances in 82 games, averaging 17.9 minutes per game, averaging 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers and 1 foul. His shooting percentage was 51.9%, three-point shooting percentage was 30.6%, and free throw shooting percentage was 74%. In the playoffs, McConnell averaged 16.3 minutes in his first 17 games, with averaging 8.4 points, 3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.1 blocks, and 1.6 turnovers and 0.9 fouls. He shot 53.5%, three-point shooting percentage 40%, and free throw shooting percentage 83.3%. During the playoffs, McConnell's playing time actually decreased to a certain extent, but his data can still be maintained at a very stable level. His role in passing and organizing offense is also quite obvious, and he can also show high competitiveness on the defensive end. McConnell also played a good role as a substitute point guard, and he was able to play the role of scoring and organization in the second team. For the Pacers, it is really important to have such an experienced player who can attack and defend on the bench, and it is also a key factor in the team being able to overcome all obstacles and reach this point during the playoffs.