Carlisle vents and McConnell sits: Pacers throw away a Game 2 opportunity against the diminished Knicks

No Julius Randle. No Bojan Bogdanovic. No Mitchell Robinson. Jalen Brunson hurts his foot. OG Anunoby leaves with a bad hamstring. And Indiana still gave up 130 points.

MY COUCH, Ind. -- As Rick Carlisle spontaneously combusted on the Pacers sideline, T.J. McConnell sat. And sat. And sat some more. His arms were crossed. The final seven minutes, not-so-coincidentally the seven minutes when Jalen Brunson and the Knicks’ offensive rebounding pulverized the fading Pacers, McConnell sat and played reluctant cheerleader.

Meanwhile, Brunson, who was playing on one bad foot, was bringing back memories of Willis Reed and leading his tough-minded team to a 130-121 victory in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, giving New York a two games to none series lead heading back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday and Sunday.

Where, you wonder, was McConnell, who has consistently done the best defensive job on Brunson of all the Pacers? Where was he when the game was on the line? Yes, Andrew Nembhard has established himself as a strong on-ball defender throughout the season, but if you’ve watched the first two games, you know he’s getting cooked and McConnell has the best odds against the Knicks’ often-unstoppable guard. In the final minutes, the Knicks seized control of Wednesday night’s game, relying either on Brunson to make magic or offensive rebounding, the same recipe they used to consistently beat the Sixers down the stretch of that six-game series.

Would McConnell, who finished with 10 points, 12 assists and a +10 in 23 minutes, have made all the difference?

We’ll never know.