After blowing out the Indiana Pacers with a 126-110 victory in Game 2, the Boston Celtics had a tougher time defeating them in Games 3 and 4 as they played with a huge sense of urgency with Tyrese Haliburton out due to a hamstring injury.
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In Game 3, Jaylen Brown went viral for saying that some Indiana Pacers player turned into “f***ing Michael Jordan.” And after completing the sweep, the Boston Celtics star revealed who he was referring to in his Michael Jordan rant.
“When I was talking about guys being Michael Jordan, TJ McConnell was who I was talking about,” Brown explained via Jared Weiss on X (formerly known as Twitter).
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TJ McConnell was one of the brightest spots for the Indiana Pacers against the Boston Celtics, as he has been their sparkplug off the bench in the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game on 50 percent shooting from the field.
His Game 3 performance where he had 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists on 58.8 percent shooting probably prompted Jaylen Brown to make his MJ claim.
TJ McConnell reflects on the Indiana Pacers 2023-24 campaign
Despite the four-game sweep, TJ McConnell believes the Indiana Pacers had a great run because they exceeded expectations this year. Coming in as the sixth seed, many experts thought the Indiana Pacers would be eliminated as early as the first round.
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“I know I don’t speak for myself, but getting this franchise back into the playoffs and making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals when not a single person had us going there. It was really fun,” said McConnell during the postgame press conference.
As the Indiana Pacers head to the offseason, they’ll focus on getting Tyrese Haliburton in tip-top shape and signing Pascal Siakam to a long-term deal.