With stakes much higher than the regular season, players tend to get more physical in the playoffs. And that has also been the case in tonight’s game between Boston and Indiana. Trying to avoid getting swept on their home court, in front of their fans, the Pacers have made multiple hustle plays all night. But that physicality and effort led to a scary moment in the fourth quarter as TJ McConnell was on the receiving end of a nasty fall courtesy of Jaylen Brown.

Going for a rebound after a missed shot attempt from Nembhard, McConnell leaped into the paint to grab the ball before any Boston player. But while he was still in the air, Jaylen Brown swiped his hand to steal the ball, inadvertently hitting TJ’s face and causing him to fall back first onto the floor. The loud thud of McConnell’s body hitting the floor left the arena filled with gasps and boos. Feeling the effects of the fall, McConnell couldn’t get up off the floor for a long time as he lay in immense pain while players from both teams stood next to him in anguish.

Fortunately, TJ got back up with thousands of fans cheering him on and happy to see their star healthy. Meanwhile, the officials were reviewing the play to check if it was more than just a common foul from Brown. Despite the clear hit to the face, the refs stood by their initial decision and did not penalize Brown with a flagrant foul. And that call was met with deafening boos across the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. As the game resumed, fans were happy to see McConnell back on the court who, despite being shaken up by the fall, continued playing in the crucial game.

Pacers fall despite TJ McConnell’s return

With TJ healthy, the Pacers still had hope that they could come out with a win and avoid humiliation. After all, they were still up by six points, with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. Unfortunately, that lead was not enough to keep the Celtics at bay. Without Tyrese Haliburton in the lineup, who is Indiana’s floor general and best player, their offense took a massive hit in the fourth quarter.

Although McConnell finished with 15 points and Andrew Nembhard had another impressive performance scoring a 24-point double-double, their team couldn’t close things out just like every other game of the series.

On the other hand, Boston successfully completed their comeback with a last-minute three-pointer from Derrick White. And just like that, Indiana’s Cinderella story ended with a sweep in the East Finals. But it was far from a failed season for Indiana. “I just wanna win. I’m tired of being a loser.”

With this quote, Haliburton made his focus clear back in December. In just five months, his team managed to end their three-year playoff drought and reach their first Conference Finals in the last decade. With their squad being so young, we can only imagine how much more they can achieve in the coming years.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.