T.J. McConnell was upset when he left Philly. Now he’ll carry lessons from ‘The Process’ into the NBA Finals.

T.J. McConnell and Lloyd Pierce share a bond that began a decade ago with the 76ers.

At that time, McConnell was the team’s backup point guard, and Pierce was an assistant coach. They remained close after Pierce left in 2018 to become the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks.

A year later, McConnell signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers. And they reunited in 2021 when Pierce joined Indiana’s coaching staff.

Being in a position to win a title after experiencing “The Process” in Philly is “kind of like a full-circle moment” for the duo, McConnell said.

The Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals after Saturday’s 125-108 win over the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. Game 1 of their championship series against the Oklahoma City Thunder is Thursday night at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.

“After we won the last game, I just gave him a big hug,” McConnell said of Pierce. “I know we both enjoyed our time in Philly. But it was one of those things where I started with him. So it just feels right to be able to accomplish what we do and go fight for a championship with him right here.

“So he’s been great, man. I love playing for him. He’s just a great guy and a great coach.”

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They’re just two of seven former Sixers looking to win an NBA title.

Indiana reserve center Tony Bradley played in 20 games — including eight starts — for the Sixers during the 2020-21 season before, ironically, being traded to the Thunder on March 25, 2021.

Michael Preston, the Pacers’ vice president of basketball communications, was communications director for the Sixers from 2006-17.

Meanwhile, Thunder reserve guard Isaiah Joe played two seasons in Philly before being waived on Oct. 13, 2022.

Vince Rozman spent 16 seasons in the Sixers’ front office before becoming the Thunder’s vice president of identification and intelligence in 2022. And Connor Johnson is in his fourth season as an OKC assistant coach. Before that, he was the head coach of the Delaware Blue Coats from 2018-21 and had various roles with the Sixers from 2014-18.

“There’s a lot of guys who formerly have played [or worked] for Philly,” McConnell said. “I’m just happy to see everyone’s doing their thing and doing well. You get your start somewhere. So you are obviously very thankful as I am to have gotten my start in Philly.

“It didn’t work out, obviously, but just happy, really, really happy where I’m at. I would hope others are happy where they are at, competing for a championship.”

McConnell began his NBA journey as the Sixers’ fifth-string point guard during training camp in 2015. At the time, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder didn’t even have a locker.

The former Sixers fan favorite averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 assists in 314 games with 72 starts before signing a free-agent deal with the Pacers on July 29, 2019.

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Since then, McConnell has averaged 8.6 points and 5.3 assists in 392 games in Indiana.

McConnell, in his 10th NBA season, is averaging 8.4 points and 3.9 assists this postseason.

The western Pennsylvania native has advanced to consecutive conference finals and is set to play in the Pacers’ first championship appearance in 25 seasons. McConnell, Jerami Grant, Richaun Holmes, and Joel Embiid are the only members of Sixers’ 2015-16 roster who are still in the NBA.

“That’s the thing when I say I’m blessed and thankful, people unfortunately don’t get to the 10-year mark,” he said. “And, obviously, that was a goal of mine.”

But McConnell doesn’t like to reflect on career accomplishments. To him, that leads to complacency. He continues to see himself as the player who needed to outwork others to remain in the league.

“But I’m a firm believer,” he said. “I’m a man of God. I was upset in the beginning that it didn’t work in Philly. But I’m very thankful to come to a place like this. Very, very thankful.”

With that said, he never imagined being this close to winning a championship.

“I was on a nonguaranteed deal,” McConnell said of his start with the Sixers. “I was just trying to make it each year and trying to soak it all in; just trying to continue to prove that I belong.”

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McConnell acknowledged that his first two seasons with the Sixers were tough. But he believes he had a real chance to win a championship during his final two seasons in Philly.

“But what we built here in Indy, I just have to credit the front office,” he said. “They showed a lot of value in me. And every coach that I played for here, Nate McMillan, Nate Bjorkgren, and, finally, Rick, what ultimately Rick Carlisle and his staff has done with this roster is incredible. I’m just trying to live in the moment right now and try to win a championship.

“But in the beginning of my career, I don’t think I was really thinking about that, if that makes sense. I was just trying to fight for my life. … But I feel being thrown into the fire early in my career in Philly benefited me in terms of my growth and being able to adapt and learn quickly.”