Indiana Pacers' T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin have etched themselves in NBA Finals lore with their performances in the series.
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MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 27: Obi Toppin #1 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates his three point basket against the Milwaukee Bucks with T.J. McConnell #9 during the third quarter in Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum on April 27, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Indiana Pacers have forced the first Game 7 of the NBA Finals in nine years. After their Game 6 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Pacers bench players T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin have etched themselves in NBA Finals lore.
For McConnell, he comes the first bench player to have 60+ points, 25+ assists, and 15+ rebounds in a Finals series. Toppin joins seven-time champion Robert Horry as the only other bench player to have 70+ points, 30+ rebounds, and 12+ three-pointers in a title series.
Neither player has started a game for Indiana in this postseason run. Yet, they have proven to be some of the most consistent players for the Eastern Conference champions against the Thunder.
Indiana’s bench depth as a whole has been on full display against Oklahoma City. They are now the first team in NBA history to have eight players score 200+ points in a single postseason run.
McConnell and Toppin Stepping Up
While it has beena trend for teams in the playoffs to play a shortened lineup, the Pacers have utilized their bench depth to their advantage against the Thunder. Specifically, McConnell and Toppin, who have turned into two of the most impactful players in the series.
Each averaging less than 20 minutes per game and yet to start a game during this postseason, the bench duo is now the third and fourth-highest scorers for the Pacers in the Finals.
Toppin led the Pacers in scoring during their Game 6 win against the Thunder, finishing with 20 points on four of seven shooting from three. It was his third game in the series scoring at least 17 points and his second hitting at least four shots from deep. His Game 6 performance also makes him the first bench player since Manu Ginobili in 2007 to have 20 points, five rebounds, and two steals in a Finals game.
“We are just super resilient, and we’re hungry,” Toppin said after the win. “We all work extremely hard every single day to allow the success that we had, and we’re not done.”
McConnell stepped up for Indiana as well, playing in a postseason-high 24 minutes while starter Tyrese Haliburton managed his calf injury. He had 12 points, nine rebounds, and a team-high six assists and four steals in the win. McConnell is now tied with OKC’s Alex Caruso for the most steals per game in the series, each averaging 2.3 across the six Finals games thus far.
Indiana’s Bench Depth Helping Force A Game 7
Besides just McConnell and Toppin, Indiana’s roster set an NBA record, becoming the first team in history to have eight players score at least 200 points in a single playoff run. Pascal Siakam, Haliburton, Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Benedict Mathurin, Toppin, and McConnell each have at least 200 total points across the Pacers’ 22 postseason games.
The Thunder were lauded for their depth throughout the regular season, yet even they haven’t reached close to that mark. Oklahoma City has just four players to hit the 200-point mark, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Caruso the only players to do so.
While Indiana’s bench depth has helped them close the gap to what was the best team during the regular season, this Finals series will feature this first Game 7 since 2016. History gives the edge to the Thunder, but the Pacers’ improbable run in these playoffs has proved that anything is possible.
“We’ve got to control what we can. So much of these games has come down to who is going to start the fight from a physicality standpoint,” Haliburton said. “We did our job to take care of home court, and we have to be ready to compete in Game 7.”