Oklahoma City wins its first championship since the team relocated from Seattle. While the Paycom center celebrates its first title and they would wish it’s the start of many, the Pacers, on the other hand, will have to fight for the championship next season. Injury to star player Tyrese Haliburton did not help their cause, and as usual, TJ McConnell stepped up, but it wasn’t enough to secure the trophy. So, who better to understand the feeling of a Finals loss than the franchise legend, Reggie Miller?

The icon has been riding the wave of the team’s momentum throughout the playoffs. Although some felt his bias for his former team was visible during his commentary stint with TNT. 25 years later, the Pacers had another opportunity, and they even led the final game by one point at halftime. But the stars favored the league MVP and now the Finals MVP, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all players with 29 points and 12 assists. As they celebrated their win, ESPN’s camera zoomed in on the Pacers players’ reaction.

Tyrese Haliburton, who went down screaming in the first quarter, remained in the locker room. His father, John Haliburton, confirmed that the 2x All-Star suffered an Achilles injury. The superstar remained in the locker room with a hoodie over his head and crutches by his side, waiting for his dejected teammates to come back. As TJ McConnell, who was coming back after an emotional loss, saw Miller waiting. All he could do at that moment was to hug the Pacers legend.

In the 2000 Finals, Miller could only score 7 points in game 1, but ended with 24.3 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game in 6 games. In the video, we could see Miller exchanging some positive words with TJ McConnell as the current Pacers star nodded his head. During the finals, or in the playoffs, nobody expected McConnell to have the kind of impact he created.

Even in the finals, in the first game only had 9 points. But in Game 7, in the absence of Haliburton, TJ McConnell stepped up and how. McConnell scored 12 of the Pacers’ 20 points in the third quarter. His 10 points brought the game close to just a 4-point margin for the Thunder, who eventually established a lead and did not give up in the 103-91 win.

TJ McConnell and co. failed to fulfill Reggie Miller’s promise

The Indiana team defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder by 17 points to force Game 7, and McConnell, a fan favorite, recorded 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals off the bench. He just played 22 minutes in the possible elimination match. That’s why Haliburton crowned TJ McConnell with a moniker: “He’s unbelievable. I don’t even have the words. He’s the great White Hope, that’s what we call him.”

After the game 6 momentum win, even Reggie Miller had some words for the team. “Let it be known, we’re not here to participate. Tonight, we write the ending they never saw coming. It’s about claiming everything we’ve built together. It’s about taking their will and turning our beliefs into banners. Tonight, a new champion will be crowned. Let’s bring that hardware home, gentlemen.”

However, the Pacers failed to win as the Thunder reigned supreme. Hopefully, the Pacers fans would hope that the team’s next road to the Finals won’t be after another 25 years.