The Indiana Pacers forced Game 7 in the 2025 NBA Finals with a decisive Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night. Not only did they defeat the Thunder, the Pacers completely dominated them by a final score of 108-91.
One of the big reasons for Indiana's strong performance was backup point guard T.J. McConnell.
McConnell has been playing exceptional basketball in the NBA Finals. He continued that trend in Game 6, scoring 12 points to go along with nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals in just 24 minutes.
In the first six games of the series, McConnell has averaged 11.3 points, 4.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game in just 19 minutes per contest. He has shot 53.7 percent from the floor in the process.
Read more:Pacers' TJ McConnell Makes Massive NBA Finals History
Due to his strong performances, the 33-year-old point guard has drawn a lot of praise. Most recently, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James spoke out with a strong message about McConnell.
"You look at TJ McConnell, he's not the tallest or fastest guy, but you don't know what he's going to do," James said. "He's the key reason there's a Game 7 tomorrow night."
Having a player like James come out and show respect like he did is just another sign of how important McConnell has been for the Pacers. In order to win a championship on Sunday night, Indiana is going to need another dominant game from their veteran backup guard.
Throughout the series thus far, the Pacers have received many big performances from across the roster. Pascal Siakam has played well, Tyrese Haliburton has had his moments, Andrew Nembhard has been elite defenses, Obi Toppin has come off the bench for a couple of big performances, and Aaron Nesmith has played a big role as well.
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Every single player on the roster is more than capable of popping off for a huge game. That is what has made Indiana so difficult to beat.
Now, the entire season comes down to one game. The Pacers can count on McConnell to bring the energy once again. If the rest of the team brings that same kind of energy, they'll have a good shot of coming out with one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history.
Game 7 will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday night. It will be interesting to see what Indiana and McConnell are able to do against the Thunder.
For more on the Indiana Pacers and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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This story was originally published June 21, 2025 at 6:25 PM.