Latest / Bleacher Report / T.J. McConnell s Dad Crashes His Postgame Interview _ 2025 NBA Finals

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T.J. McConnell s Dad Crashes His Postgame Interview _ 2025 NBA Finals · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You know Isaiah Spitty, Brendan Jared So. Just a couple
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: of moments ago, Tyree S. Taliburton referred to as the
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Great White Hope. You certainly put it all out there tonight,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: what has gotten into here in these games and obviously
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: when your team needs it the most.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, honestly, you know it sounds redundant when
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: I say it, but I'm just trying to do my job.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Come in, inject energy and get our team moving offensively
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: and defensively, and get us out and do what we
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  Speaker 2: do best and run.
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  Speaker 3: TJ.
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  Speaker 4: You come from a basketball family. Your sister plays, your
• 0:38
  Speaker 4: dad was, you know, coaching you hard growing up, and
• 0:42
  Speaker 4: it seems like you've been playing this way really like
• 0:45
  Speaker 4: your whole life. And a lot of guys have to
• 0:47
  Speaker 4: get into the NBA, change their game, change their style,
• 0:52
  Speaker 4: but your temperament, your way of playing, actually fits this
• 0:56
  Speaker 4: Facer team. In Rick Carlisle talk about how convenient and
• 1:01
  Speaker 4: good that's been for you that you found a team
• 1:05
  Speaker 4: that not only accepts your style, but also a fan base.
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  Speaker 3: That loves you.
• 1:09
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, I obviously got to give my
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: dad credit. You know, he told me I'm not obviously
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: going to be the biggest. I'm not the fastest, but
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: you can outwork people, yes, and that's what I've tried
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: to hang my hat on. And you know, in terms
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: of coming here, they value me so much, the front office,
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: the coaching staff. I can't put it into words how
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: amazing it's been to play here in these fans.
• 1:40
  Speaker 5: Like I said, I can't put it into words. I
• 1:42
  Speaker 5: love it here. I love these fans. I love this organization.
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: You should have blamed your dad for why you're not
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: the biggest. It's his fault.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we won't go there, but yeah, it's
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: definitely his fault.
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: ZJ.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: The question for me is we've been watching you play
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: throughout your entire career.
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: Tonight, you know the steals, the cyst buckets with the
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: nine rebounds. Just walk me through the mindset for you
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: going out and collect the nine rebounds.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know, our coaches do a good
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  Speaker 2: job of, you know, obviously telling.
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  Speaker 5: Us what we do well, but also what we don't
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  Speaker 5: do well.
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  Speaker 2: And I feel like I get into trouble sometimes of
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: not boxing out. And I made a concerted effort to
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: box out my man and go get the fifty to
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: fifty balls. That's something that's kind of hurt us. So
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: we got to continue to you know, box out and.
• 2:31
  Speaker 5: You know rebound.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: You know, you you won game six here at home.
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: Now you've got a game seven to win a championship.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: What will you guys take from this game and try
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: to fly to the next one.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: You know, it sounds super cliche, but you gotta flush
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: this one. Obviously happy that we won, and we'll look
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: at the film and see what we did well. But
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Game seven, especially on the road, is a whole different animal,
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: and we've got to be locked in on both ends
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: and just be super together because we're all we're going
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: to have on the road.
• 3:03
  Speaker 4: Yeah, TJ, your game is extremely unique in an era
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: where everybody's looking to shoot the three ball.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: You were living in that mid range.
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: Talk about what has led to that, the confidence that
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: you have in that almost almost we.
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: Talked about your game.
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  Speaker 4: Conference member was Andre Miller a lot, so talk to
• 3:19
  Speaker 4: us about your game and how effective it has been.
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: That's a compliment, so I appreciate it.
• 3:22
  Speaker 4: Andre Miller was cold for the young for the young
• 3:25
  Speaker 4: guy that don't know who Andre Miller.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: He was cold.
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: I think for me it's coming down and just getting
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: to my spots and knowing what I do well. Obviously,
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: if they leave me open, I'm gonna shoot it from three.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: But just get into my spots and shooting it and
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: just getting my teammates involved is something that I've tried
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: to do since I've been in the league, and and
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: not step out.
• 3:46
  Speaker 5: Outside that box. I think that's when players get in trouble.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: I want to take you back to the beginning of
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: this game. Your season is on the line, you must win,
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: and the team comes out.
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: You miss your first eight shots.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: At times it looked like ty Reese was being a
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: bit hesitant giving up shots passing the ball, and you
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: find yourselves down early in the game, ten to two
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: time out, then you go on a twenty four to
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: seven run. What were you thinking in those early moments
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: and what changed?
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: I think all of us just said, don't flinch. Obviously
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: that Okac was gonna come out and throw a hillacious punch,
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: and they did.
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  Speaker 5: But our group did a good job.
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  Speaker 2: Of hanging in there and kind of getting the lid
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: off the rim, and we settled down, our crowd got
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: into it, and we just did what we did best.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Was there any thought that Tyrese wouldn't play the way
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: he did.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: I mean, you got to be careful with a CAF
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: injury like that. But I think we all knew he
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: was going to play. The guy is a warrior, and
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: we all got his back, all right.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: So what's the distance you need between you and your
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  Speaker 1: dad to yell at him for.
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  Speaker 3: Not being taller or not marrying somebody that was taller.
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  Speaker 5: I mean, I know he's standing right there, but.
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: My man, come on, come on in here, come on
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  Speaker 3: in here. Who's more fired up?
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  Speaker 5: I love.
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  Speaker 6: You?
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  Speaker 3: Man?
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  Speaker 5: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, he finds a way to
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  Speaker 5: get in it.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, congratulations, tell you right now, he's a warrior.
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: You're right, don't matter how tall you are.
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  Speaker 5: That's right, that's your fault.
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: The heart of a champion. Yes, yes, question. What do
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: you What do you think of his performance tonight? Excellent?
• 5:30
  Speaker 6: Just disappointing. Missed two foul shots in the beginning. I
• 5:33
  Speaker 6: kept saying, man, I wish you'd have made those two
• 5:35
  Speaker 6: foul shots. But he recovered and we won the game,
• 5:39
  Speaker 6: so I can forget about the file shots and you
• 5:42
  Speaker 6: can happen.
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: Game seven.
• 5:43
  Speaker 6: We're going to o k C to try to win
• 5:45
  Speaker 6: a world championship and my son's a part of it,
• 5:48
  Speaker 6: and I can't believe that.
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  Speaker 4: Pops, I got one question for you, Why were you
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: harder on him and softer on your daughter?
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: He says that it's true. It's true.
• 6:01
  Speaker 5: It's true.
• 6:02
  Speaker 6: Was undefeated state championship. He lost in the state championship.
• 6:06
  Speaker 6: We lost two games, so undefeated. He didn't play as
• 6:10
  Speaker 6: well in the state championship. He played great, but we
• 6:12
  Speaker 6: didn't win it.
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: How she's with the Mercury.
• 6:20
  Speaker 6: So I can't be more pride to say I have
• 6:24
  Speaker 6: a son in the NBA and I have a daughter
• 6:26
  Speaker 6: in the w n b A.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: This is a dream come true.
• 6:29
  Speaker 6: And I'm going to ok C for my son to
• 6:32
  Speaker 6: play in the championship game win the World champions.
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: Yes, did you have an agent?
• 6:40
  Speaker 5: Does?
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: I would love to represent him.
• 6:43
  Speaker 5: I'm sure he would love that.
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: TJ.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Congratulations, thanks for lending us your dad.
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: That was one of the grittier performances we've seen. TJ.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: Huge once again tonight, man, what a performance.
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: You're awesome. Mister McConnell,