The substitute point guard has tried his best! Unfortunately, the Pacers two starters are in a worse state than the other?

In the previous NBA Finals G5, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who returned to home, defeated the Indiana Pacers 120-109. After winning the battle of Tianwang Mountain, the Thunder also rewritten the total score of the series to 3-2. After winning the match point, they once again took the initiative in this round of series; as for the Pacers, they must defeat their opponents in G6 before they can drag the series into the tiebreak.

Although the Pacers lost the game, the team's substitute point guard TJ McConnell really tried his best. McConnell played 21 minutes and 58 seconds in the whole game, made 8 of 14 shots, 1 of 2 from outside the three-point line, and 1 of 1 free throw. He got the second highest score of the team with 18 points plus 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. He also had 3 turnovers and 3 fouls, with plus and negative values ​​+4. McConnell doesn't play much, but he plays a very critical role on both offense and defense. He has comprehensive scoring ability on the offense and has also won a lot of points through various methods, providing a lot of support to the team. In addition, McConnell also played a certain effect in passing and organizing, and his performance on the defensive end was also remarkable. Unfortunately, the team's two major starters and backcourt performances were simply worse than the other, and they did not have the effect they should have. McConnell was unable to stay on the court at the critical moment of the last quarter, and his series of efforts and outstanding performances were unable to help the team turn the situation around.

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 16.7 minutes in his first 21 games, with averaging 9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 0.7 steals. He also had 1.6 turnovers and 1 foul. His shooting percentage was 53.3%, his three-point shooting percentage was 42.1%, and his free throw shooting percentage was 88%.

McConnell's performance during the playoffs was really outstanding. Although his playing time is not stable and has seen some reductions compared to the regular season, his role on the court is really outstanding. He can provide a lot of support to the team on the offensive end, his performance in scoring, organization and tandem offense is excellent, and he can also provide a lot of support to the team's second place. In fact, like this game, the backcourt core Tyrese Haliburton was in such a bad state. The Pacers should have given McConnell more trust and support, but they still insisted on Halliburton as the core. Under such tactical arrangements, it would be strange if the Pacers could win.