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T.J. McConnell Thinks Sixers Win it All if Kawhi Leonard Shot Doesn’t Fall
Published:
Marc Zumoff had T.J. McConnell on his Fresh 24 YouTube show, and the former Sixer said this about the 2019 Toronto series:
After a devastating loss in the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, @TJMcConnell believes that if Kawhi Leonard's game winner did not go in, the @sixers would have been NBA Champions. Full episode available now on YouTube and all podcast platforms! pic.twitter.com/Podf4sukuj
— Fresh 24 With Marc Zumoff (@Fresh24Zumoff) July 20, 2023
As a quick reminder, the Raptors went on to beat Milwaukee 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, then took out Golden State 4-2 to win it all. Toronto needed double overtime to prevent a 3-0 series deficit against the Bucks, then won three more in a row to close it out. And that was the year the Warriors had the Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson injuries in the Finals, and were generally banged up through most of those playoffs.
For what it’s worth, the Sixers did beat Golden State in California during the regular season, and had a regular season win against Milwaukee as well. They would not have had home court advantage in either of those series, so it’s hard to say whether or not they would have come out on top. Keep in mind, if that Kawhi shot doesn’t go in, they still would have had to win the overtime period to win the series, and the Sixers’ offensive possessions at the end of regulation in game 7 were pretty wretched.
Good interview with T.J. though. Zoo’s podcast/video series is very good. Full episode here:
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com