Q. How are you feeling? Anxious, relaxed, nervous?
T.J. McCONNELL: I think for the most part most of us are anxious, ready to get out there. Just trying to stay in the moment.
Q. What concerns you most about OKC, the defense, Shai, the way they play?
T.J. McCONNELL: I mean, I think it's all of that. They're just a complete team. They're incredibly well-coached. We just have to be ready for a full 48 minutes, a battle, just be locked in.
Q. How much do you guys relish the fact that no one's really giving you a chance at all in this series here?
T.J. McCONNELL: I feel like that's been the norm for us throughout the playoffs. That's okay. We're not really worried about the external noise. We know what we have to do to win. We have to do it together. Anything outside of that we're not concerning ourselves with.
Q. The Oklahoma City players told us the concerns about playing you guys, the pace, how fast you guys play, the explosive offense. What are you concerned about in terms of dealing with them?
T.J. McCONNELL: I mean, everything. Shai and their whole starting five, guys coming off the bench. They force a ton of turnovers. We got to take care of the ball, like I said, just be a team and play together.
Q. How much do you guys appreciate this moment? Only two teams left. Have you had a chance to reflect and think about how the opportunity's here, let's take advantage of it?
T.J. McCONNELL: Yeah, I mean, obviously very fortunate and happy to be here. But I think reflecting is for when the season's over. We're trying to, like I said, live in the moment and stay locked in and not worry about any external noise.
Q. Do you have any NBA Final memories from when you were a kid?
T.J. McCONNELL: Where I grew up, there wasn't any NBA teams.
Q. Which one do you remember?
T.J. McCONNELL: There's not really one that stands out, honestly. Just being able to play in it is probably one that sticks out to me.
Q. If you had a chance to play Caitlin Clark one-on-one up to 12, who would win and how many points would you score?
T.J. McCONNELL: I don't know. It would be a great game, though. She's a great player. I don't know who would win and I don't know what the score would be. She's an incredible player, someone that I have a ton of respect for, also a good person.
I've been following her career, especially when she got drafted by the Fever. We all are happy to have her in Indy. It's been fun to watch.
Q. Say you win the championship, what shoes are you going to be wearing when you raise the trophy?
T.J. McCONNELL: Probably the ones I've been playing in all year. I think the Ja Morants, I haven't switched.
We're not focused on that. We're just focused on Game 1.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports