McConnell helps Philly stay alive
PHILADELPHIA — The chants for “TJ! TJ!” grew louder each time T.J. McConnell darted through the lane for an easy basket or buried a three to help build an insurmountable lead for the 76ers.
He wore a sheepish look as teammates rubbed his head on the bench in appreciation, the big moment due for an undrafted guard who plugged a role in the early days of “The Process,” as the 76ers’ rebuilding has been called, and morphed into a surprise postseason savior.
McConnell turned an eyepopping start into the save of the season and Dario Saric scored 25 points to help Philadelphia stave off elimination with a 103-92 win over the Celtics in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Monday night.
“If I saw a lane, I took it. If I had an open shot, I would try and take it,” McConnell said. Easy enough.
Yet the Sixers still face daunting odds heading into Game 5 and trailing 3-1 in the series: No NBA team has won a series after being down 3-0.
McConnell had a career-high 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in only his second start of the season and meshed well in the backcourt with Ben Simmons. The crowd chanted his initials each time he touched the ball in the fourth quarter and he proved why he has been so valuable even as bigger names have sliced his playing time.
He was just what head coach Brett Brown needed in a mustwin game.
“I can tell you the Philadelphia 76ers spirit is just fine,” Brown said.
With NBA teams down 3-0 having lost all 129 series, the Sixers will need more than spirit to pull off a stunner.
Joel Embiid had 15 points and 13 rebounds and Simmons had 19 points and 13 boards.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 20 points and Marcus Morris had 17.
The Sixers spent the second half in control in what could be their last home game of the season.
Embiid was still in the mix in his mask, stirring it up with any Boston player within his wingspan. He chirped at Morris in the third and the Celtics’ forward flashed a “3-0” with his hands. McConnell buried a three for a 14-point lead that would soon make that combination obsolete.
The “TJ!” chants soon echoed throughout the Wells Fargo Center.
“It was a pretty special moment,” McConnell said of the chants. “I think we have the best fans in the NBA. They’ve been here through the dark times and they’ve certainly been here on our rise.”
Brown was desperate to spark the Sixers and benched slumping forward Robert Covington (0-for-14 combined in Games 1 and 3) for McConnell. McConnell had started 68 games combined over the past two seasons and served as an example of the type of player on which The Process was built. He was a hustler, a court general averaging 6.5 points, a reliable favorite for Brown. Simmons’ emergence put McConnell on the bench, and without complaint.
With a chance to thrive, McConnell zipped inside for easy buckets, made the extra pass to keep the offense rolling and made the dive for loose balls.
“How do I help my stars be stars because at the end of the day, that’s what we need,” Brown said. “That’s my job.”
He turned to McConnell, that’s how.