The price is high, Thunder coach talks about "unforgivable" mistakes against T.J. McConnell

After witnessing the chain reaction triggered by T.J. McConnell at the end of the third game, Mark Dagnott reveals the Thunder’s missing points.

Before entering Game 3 of the NBA Finals, several players ranked among the top scout reports of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Tyreth Halliburton? Yes, any evaluation of the Thunder must start with the former Kings draft player. Pascal Siakam? Yes, he won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP for a reason and remains one of the best strikers left in the playoffs. Oh my god, even the efforts of Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nemhard so far deserve extra reviews, but what about T.J. McConnell, the whole-hearted backup point guard who averaged 16.4 minutes per game during the 2025 NBA playoffs? Needless to say, he probably didn't take up much time in the game video.

However, after the third game, it is safe to say that this is about to change as his five steals played a huge role in the final score of 116-107.

Speaking of how McConnell was able to intercept out-of-bounds like an interceptor, Mark Degno admitted that the substitute defender caused a lot of trouble for the team and triggered a series of events that the Thunder could not overcome.

"How big do you think those mistakes are snowballing? I mean those mistakes are obviously stumblers at critical moments. But when it comes to being unforgivable, I mean, everyone is fighting on the court, working hard, and I don't blame the mistakes. I just feel that for most of the game, they have a better overall atmosphere than we do," explains Degno.

"Like I said, I think we had some really good play, but we just made too many mistakes. And on both sides of the field, they were more focused on their positioning than we did. But obviously those mistakes were expensive."

Although McConnell played for only five minutes for the Pacers in the fourth quarter, playing 15 minutes in total - ninth among Indiana players - his influence on the final score was far beyond anyone, even Rick Carlisle, for what he expected for the final game. Game 4 will start on Friday, and what role McConnell will play in the Pacers and how well the Thunder are prepared when McConnell is called to the number will be expected.

Degnott was asked how "unforgivable" McConnell's out-of-bounds steals were.

"As for being unforgivable, everyone is working hard on the court. I will not blame any player."