Feb. 13: Walking the walk and talking the talk

Following Philadelphia's win over the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 13, McConnell was fired up — and for good reason. 

Before the game, Hornets guard Nicolas Batum guaranteed his team would beat McConnell's Sixers. 

Batum's comments only fueled Philadelphia's fire, and the Sixers upset the Hornets 105-99 — in Charlotte, nonetheless. 

McConnell called out Batum for his comments, saying "you're not gonna overlook us — we're not a guaranteed victory for the other team. … If you guarantee stuff you better back it up.

"We're a damn good team; we just gotta keep fighting." (See the video below). 

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McConnell finished with 14 points, four rebounds and a team-high seven assists, while Batum finished with 16 points, one rebound and four assists. 

Needless to say, T.J. was the winner of that battle. 

Before the game, Nicolas Batum guaranteed the Hornets would win. @TJMcConnell had something to say after the Sixers victory pic.twitter.com/q5I9GqSPZF

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2017