Getty Josh Hart defending T.J. McConnell during Game 5 on May 14.
There’s a rivalry renewed between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. Josh Hart continues to be vocal on social media in any news surrounding the franchise’s longtime rival.
The latest installment features his reaction to rumors of a potential T.J. McConnell extension.
In a June 21 appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Indiana is working on an extension for the ninth-year guard.
“The Pacers are working to extend T.J. McConnell,” Charania said. “That is someone they want around for the long haul, no question.”
Hart responded to the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“He deserves it….you still annoying though,” he tweeted on June 21.
McConnell played a large part in the Pacers’ Eastern Conference Finals run last season.
McConnell Shines Against New York in Semifinals
McConnell’s impact in the seven-game series against the Knicks isn’t lost on Hart. And for good reason.
The 32-year-old averaged 11.9 points, 6 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in the second round, seven-game series win over New York.
Ahead of the series against Indiana in May, Hart talked about McConnell, praising his efforts and style of play.
“T.J. McConnell is an annoying little (expletive) that just runs around, causes chaos, picks up 94 feet, someone that plays the game of basketball extremely at a high level, competitive as hell,” Hart said on May 5. “So we know once Tyrese (Haliburton) goes, it’s not like we can sit there and relax. You’ve got someone in T.J. who could be a starting point guard for any other team in this league.”
Hart and McConnell traded shots all series. According to NBA.com’s Matchups tracker, both players shot above 50% in one-on-one situations against each other. Neither forced a turnover or blocked the other’s shot.
Hart’s comments to McConnell are just the latest of jabs aimed at the Pacers.
Hart, Haliburton Go Back and Forth After Season’s End
Point guard Tyrese Haliburton previously served as the muse for Hart’s social media poking and prodding.
After eliminating New York, Indiana was swept by the Boston Celtics, who won the 2024 NBA Finals over the Dallas Mavericks.
Hart had a message for Haliburton after he and the Pacers came up short. He revealed the details of their conversation on an episode “The Roommates Show” podcast.
“I think I said something like ‘(Expletive) y’all couldn’t get one win?” Hart said on the May 31 episode. “Y’all beat us Game 7. Y’all couldn’t get one win, after three leads in the fourth? Obviously if we moved on, JB wouldn’t be playing. I would have tried to play, I don’t know how I would have been. (Expletive) we coulda did that. At least get one.’”
Weeks later, Hart commented on an Instagram post of Haliburton’s, which featured a number of outfits the star donned during the season.
“Started and ended with trash fits,” Hart wrote.
“You became an analyst after playing us,” Haliburton replied.
“And somehow we both won the same amount of games,” Hart added.
Indiana and New York both finished the postseason with 8 wins in the 2024 playoffs.
Hart took a guest spot during the NBA Finals as a guest analyst after being eliminated by the Pacers in the semifinals.
He’s remained in the spotlight since for his comments on all things Indiana.
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