T.J. McConnell Talks 'F--king Devastating' NBA Finals Loss, Says Pacers Are 'Not Done'
Indiana Pacers fans who still haven't gotten over the team's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the NBA Finals can take solace in one thing.
T.J. McConnell hasn't gotten over it either.
The Pacers guard opened up in an emotional piece for The Players' Tribune on Tuesday about what he called "the best basketball season of my life" and how difficult it was to see it all end so suddenly in the decisive contest, especially after Tyrese Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles in the first quarter that undercut Indiana's chances.
"I could tell you how that moment was bittersweet, or how there were mixed emotions, but I'd be lying," he wrote. "It was just f--king devastating, man."
While there are no moral victories in the NBA, the Pacers still caught the basketball world by storm as they advanced all the way to the NBA Finals with dramatic late comebacks, buzzer-beating shots and what seemed like a collective will that transcended their own individual abilities.
That was not lost on McConnell.
"I know it's a cliché, but I swear to God: We did this as a family," he wrote. "… That's how it felt anyway. It felt like we built this from the ground up—together, as a family. Then we grinded through the highs and lows of the season as a family. Then we won (and won, and won, and won) in the playoffs as a family."
Unfortunately for the Pacers, the immediate future looks somewhat bleak. Not only is Haliburton sidelined for the entire 2025-26 campaign, but they also lost starting center Myles Turner to the rival Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.
It will be up to role players such as McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin to elevate their games around Pascal Siakam for the team to remain a factor in the Eastern Conference, which may be too much to ask.
But don't tell McConnell that.
"I know we're being written off now by everyone," he said. "I know they're thinking the Pacers are done, or that this run we just went on will be the peak for our group. And I understand why. But it's the same bulls--t we've always dealt with in Indy—and it's the same exact thing we've had to hear so many times over the last year. Swept by the Celtics, they're done. Started out 10–15, they're done. Down 7 late to the Bucks, down 7 late to the Cavs, down 9 late to the Knicks, down 15 late to the Thunder, they're done. Down 3–2 in the Finals, they're done.
"Lost Game 7 in the most brutal way possible … lost their franchise player for next season … lost their center in free agency … they're done.
"You'd think people would learn by now, but: We're actually not done."
Indiana fans will surely love to hear that.
