The Indiana Pacers head into a critical Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After a hard-fought series that has seen both teams trade victories, the Pacers are locked in a tie with the Oklahoma City Thunder, 1-1.
The atmosphere in Indianapolis is electric, and the Pacers are eager to bring their A-game for their loyal home crowd, as they haven’t played a Finals game in the city for 25 years.
Point Guard TJ McConnell took a moment to speak on the current energy inside the Pacers locker room. When asked about who led the team during the intense energy of the NBA Finals, McConnell reflects that everyone has a voice inside the locker room.
“I feel like it’s everyone, Myles speaks up, ty speaks up, James Johnson speaks up, Pascal…We have a lot of voices in this locker room that have a lot of experience, but when someone speaks no matter who it is, we listen.”
McConnell reiterates that the Pacers support eachother at every moment. Instead of team only meetings, everyone speaks out to help one another during training.
“I wouldn’t say we have a players only type meeting. I think you know in practice, if you see something, kind of talk to somebody about it. But we’re listening to what coach is saying, and adjusting to the mistakes that we made.”
McConnell’s praise for Caitlin Clark and Jenny Boucek
McConnell had nothing but words of praise for the Indiana Fever‘s Caitlin Clark.
“I mean, she’s an unbelieveable talent, and I’ve met her a couple times she’s a great person, so, I feel like she’s beloved here and deservingly so, she’s been incredible, she’s helped navigate the fever to what they’re doing and all the credit that she gets is very deserving, she’s a great player and a great person and we’re happy to have her here.”
When asked about assistant coach Jenny Boucek‘s impact on the team, McConnell dished out words of love and appreciation, particularly considering how she manages her time as a single mom with the demands of the NBA, particularly during finals.
“She’s been unbelievable. Me and her have kind of connected from the moment she’s gotten here. She just has so much experience in this business, [and] she’s a former player.
“I think the thing I respect most about her is she’s a single mom as well, which is incredibly difficult to navigate with our schedule, so to see her with that light has been awesome.”
Home advantage and stakes rise in Indianapolis
The return to Indianapolis marks a significant moment: Game 3 and Game 4 are the first Finals games there in a quarter-century. Pacers forward Pascal Siakam called it the “biggest game of the year,” while Myles Turner noted the palpable excitement: “I think the city’s been waiting for an opportunity like this… I expect a hell of an environment [on Wednesday]”.
For McConnell, he feels the city’s sense of excitement and looks forward to playing for the hometown crowd.
“There hasn’t been a finals game here in 25 years, so I know our crowd is going to be really fired up, and we’re really excited to play in front of them it’s been a little bit so we’re excited to get back out here and play in front of our home crowd.”
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