Knicks aware they must slow Pacers' T.J. McConnell, too
Pacers guard T.J. McConnell celebrates after making a basket during the second half against the Bucks in Game 6 in an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday in Indianapolis. Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
While there has been a focus on Tyrese Haliburton and how important it is to slow him down, the Knicks are well aware that when T.J. McConnell comes off the bench, the Pacers play almost as fast, even if it’s a different style.
“When Tyrese picks up the pace, he’s an engine unto himself,” Josh Hart said. “But when [Haliburton] comes out, T.J. McConnell [comes in] and is just annoying. He runs around, causes chaos, picks up 94 feet, someone that plays the game of basketball extremely at a high level, competitive as hell. So we know once Tyrese goes [to the bench], it’s not like we can sit there and relax.”
Haliburton had six points and eight assists on Monday night in the Knicks’ 121-117 victory in Game 1. McConnell had 18 points and three assists in 22:17.
Asked if McConnell or any opponents might have the same description of him, Hart acknowledged: “Oh, probably, probably. T.J. is one of my favorite people in the league just in terms of how he is as a person. And that’s why I love him. He’s someone who is doubted, he doesn’t pass the eye test, he’s someone who’s extremely gritty, he’s someone who can go out there and get you 20, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals and pick up 94 feet.
“So that’s definitely — we have a lot of comparisons, obviously. [I’m] a little taller, more handsome, better taste in wine, probably golf better.”
The rebounding counter
A great strength of the Pacers as they have exceeded expectations this season is their ability to get out and run. But the counter to that is that the Knicks are the best rebounding team in the NBA and the Pacers are among the worst. So for every attempt to run out on a Knicks miss, Indiana could see the Knicks walk in to grab an offensive rebound.
“They have an amazing tenacity to go get the ball, and certainly the last couple days of prep, we’ve been talking about it, trying to prepare for it as best we can without killing our own guys,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said.
“But their offensive rebound percentage in the Philadelphia series was historic. And with [Mitchell] Robinson back — we didn’t see [Isaiah] Hartenstein or Robinson last time — it’s a whole different ballgame. We didn’t see OG [Anunoby], either, so it’s the best in the playoffs so far..
“You can’t run until you have the ball, and so if we’re thinking that taking off early is gonna solve a problem and they get the ball and lay it in, that’s not gonna work.
“The thing about crashing is it’s a way to slow down transition. That’s one of the reasons they do it and one of the reasons we do it.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
