The smallest player in NBA history exploded in the Finals! This kind of player, the opponent hates him

It's a coincidence.

Last week, I had a hang out with Zhengzhou Van Vleet and talked about the topic of becoming a coach after the player retired.

Share a piece of our conversation:

Him: "You said that when Paul retires, will he be a good coach?" ”

Me: "I'm afraid not!" ”

Him: "Why? ”

Me: "The cannon is too smart, in his eyes other players are easy to be SB..."

Him: "So who do you think has a chance among the current NBA and CBA players?" ”

I (thought for a moment): "Let's talk about two unpopular, McConnell of the NBA Pacers, and Guo Kai of the Shandong team..."

...

TJ McConnell, I've always had a high opinion of him, and I had this to say about him in last year's East showdown with the Green Army:

Our Chinese defenders can really see more about how people play.

It can be said that he is a model of a player who is not so physically good.

With a height of 1.85 meters, he has been in the competitive league for many years, what does he rely on?

One, basic skills, two, brain.

He's the kind of player who is very suitable to be a manager after retiring.

Why is it suitable? He has a lot of qualities, and I'll name a few.

1. McConnell himself was drenched in the rain.

McConnell, who came out of the draft, understands the players better.

Good players, especially superstar players, why can't you be a coach? In their eyes, playing basketball is always easy...

On the contrary, the coach is powerful, and he is a leftover material when he is a player.

The best example of this is Carlisle of the Pacers.

Carlisle as a playerEntered the NBA in 1984 and Michael Jordan was the same rookie in his careerAverages per game2.2 points and 1.1 assists, although he won the championship, but Bird's bag brother.

This kind of smart player can think a lot of things on the bench.

2. Ball Quotient.

He's an undrafted player, he's a bench player, he's not on top, but the ball quotient is definitely top-notch.

3. Passion.

Lao Li's set of chicken soup, if TJ is a coach, he can also understand it. After all, in the Pacers, he is the most passionate player, and watching him play is really emotional.

Of course, McConnell is still a player, and as a manager, let's talk about it later...

Let's talk about his game.

I believe that everyone was shocked by him yesterday.

In just 15 minutes and 06 seconds of playing time, with 10 points, 5 assists and 5 steals, he broke the 79-year-old NBA historical record and became the first bench player on the finals stage to contribute "5 + assists + 5 + steals" in a single game.

Only those who understand the game know how big the attack this guy made yesterday.

Before he appeared, the walker was like a dying patient, about to be extubated, with no energy...

Then McConnell went up, and after a bite and a steal, the rhythm changed.

The timing of the first half was extremely delicate, and the Thunder opened up 15+ if it wasn't good enough...

It was TJ who helped the Pacers bite.

From a Thunder perspective, being scored by a steal is very demoralizing. After all, this TM is what they are good at, and McConnell is known for his human ways...

Witnessing this battle, I deeply understood Myles Turner's praise for TJ McConnell in his own personal letter:

“McConnell, I'm going to give him one of the highest compliments a player can ever receive: If he's on the opponent's side, I'll absolutely hate him. Thankfully, he's not here (don't mind, opponents).”

After yesterday's game, a lot of media was talking about how bad his talent was...

That's right, McConnellWith a height of 1.85 meters and an arm span of 1.88 meters, he is said to be the smallest player in NBA history (if not "the most, that's one of them").

In an interview in March 2019 on CCTV's "NBA Frontline" program, TJ's palm was almost the same size as a female reporter who was more than half a head shorter than him.

On the street, this guy doesn't look like a basketball player.

However, he can survive in the NBA for 10 years, and has scored 16 points, 13 assists, 10 steals, and defeated the Knicks, who are in Guago, but it cannot be simply defined as "this player has no talent".

To be precise, there is no physical talent.

It's not like Rocket Amen's talent, TJ McConnell's mind is also a higher-level talent for an athlete.

His mid-range, steady as a dog, he is too capable of running, he is very stable in ball control, and anyone who has played basketball all over the court knows that this kind of player is too difficult to defend, and the feeling for defenders is always that he is annoying.

Jalen Wai on being stolen by TJ McConnell: "It feels terrible! ”

Yesterday, the Pacers' sideline fans held up a sign that read:

It's T.J. Time!

In the NBA world where people come and go, and superstars shine, the 33-year-old McConnell is a small person.

If it is more inspirational, there is no need to say it, there is no need to sensationalize. To survive in the alliance for so long, he has long been the Jordan of his own world.

TJ can have such a wonderful moment, the biggest inspiration for you and me who play basketball in front of the screen, I think it is:

Do the simplest things to the extreme, and there must be room for your survival.