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I’m no one’s idea of a basketball coach, but a jolt of energy from McConnell, referred to by coach Rick Carlisle as “competitive willpower� two days earlier, might’ve changed the course of the game.

McConnell typically enters each game with about three minutes remaining in the first quarter and is back on the bench with seven minutes to go in the second quarter. The process repeats in the second half. His minutes distribution is similar to Steve Kerr in the 1990s; Kerr averaged 17.8 minutes per game in his long NBA career; McConnell is at 19.8. The difference was that Kerr, a feared shooter, was often on the floor at crunch time. Remember his game-winning buzzer beater for the Chicago Bulls in the 1997 championship game?

I listened to a podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash last week and James was prolific in his praise of McConnell, saying that he is often a game-changer, helping the Pacers outscore opponents “10-4 in a minute or two, and that really adds up.�

I compare McConnell to what Chuck Cecil did on the football field for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, and what Pete Rose added to Cincinnati and Philadelphia in his playing days. He changes the flow of the game, a positive force the Pacers could’ve used Friday.