INDIANAPOLIS — One year ago, Josh Hart offered what probably sounded to some like an insult.
But coming from a consummate irritant like him, it was meant as the ultimate compliment.
In last year’s second-round playoff series against the Pacers, Hart notoriously called veteran Pacers guard T.J. McConnell “an annoying little sh-t,” a description that has proven accurate as the Knicks have faced two home defeats by Indiana at the start of this year’s Eastern Conference finals.
McConnell, who has played in the NBA for ten seasons and has a knack for making an impact in games against the Knicks, contributed 10 points in just 14 minutes off the bench during each of the Pacers’ victories at Madison Square Garden. The series then moved to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 on Sunday night.
“Our bench has performed exceptionally well, and McConnell was outstanding,” remarked Pacers coach Rick Carlisle following Game 2. “At this stage of the season, you have to play with a certain mindset, with defiance,” he added.
“It’s kind of defined T.J.’s 10-year career in the NBA. He’s done a great job throughout the playoffs of playing his game and not allowing some difficult situations to deter him from keeping his focus on what he needs to do to help the team. So I thought he was a real key (to the first two games), and we’re gonna need the same effort from everybody when we go home.”
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During last year’s postseason meeting, Hart had made the comparison between himself and the undersized McConnell, noting that both players have been known to get under their opponents’ skin.
Hart also joked that he’s “a little taller, more handsome, with better taste in wine and probably [play] golf better.”
But he also called the 33-year-old McConnell “one of my favorite people in the league,” and said they often trade bottles of wine when they are in the other’s respective city.
“T.J. McConnell is an annoying little s–t that just runs around, causes chaos, picks up 94 feet [defensively], someone that plays the game of basketball extremely at a high level, competitive as hell,” Hart said at the time.
“So we know once [starting point guard] Tyrese [Haliburton] goes [to the bench], it’s not like we can sit there and relax. You’ve got someone in T.J. who could be a starting point guard for any other team in this league.
McConnell typically was a nuisance at both ends of the floor during last year’s seven-game elimination of the Knicks, averaging 11.9 points and 6.0 assists in 20.6 minutes per game, including 18 points in Game 1 and 12 dimes in Game 2.
“He is someone who is doubted, he doesn’t pass the eye test,” Hart added. “But 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.”
