The Sixers beat the Celtics at TD Garden on opening night — a game which took place in October, though it feels like a lifetime ago.
On that night, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe were magnificent. The veteran guard dropped 40 while the rookie poured in 34. With Joel Embiid struggling mightily and Paul George shelved, the backcourt of the future made its presence felt in the present. The Sixers’ season was a roller coaster the rest of the way.
So after they were blown out by Boston in Game 1 Sunday,
it was only fitting for the VJ-Maxx backcourt to lead them to a stunning upset in Game 2. Like they’ve done all season, Maxey and Edgecombe flushed what happened and willed their team to a win.
That win in the opener was part of a 4-0 start. Then the Sixers struggled as Embiid and George weren’t consistently in the lineup and had not returned to form when available. As the veterans began looking like themselves, the team was showing real signs of life — until George was slapped with a 25-game suspension. Then Embiid battled a stress reaction in his right leg, followed by a right oblique strain. Then Maxey hurt his pinky.
That felt like the end. Even if everyone could get back, there’s no way they could make it work. A win over the then-surging Charlotte Hornets with a full squad had folks giddy. One appendectomy later, it felt like all hope was lost. Salvaging a home play-in game — a win over the Orlando Magic — provided a brief moment of joy, followed quickly by the grim reality of facing the hated Celtics.
And Game 1 felt like an inevitability.
Embiid isn’t coming back. Sweep incoming. Fire Daryl Morey. Fire Nick Nurse. Salary dump PG.
OK, there are likely many of you who still agree with a couple of those, but there will be no sweep.
And maybe, just maybe, Embiid can make a heroic return. That would sure make things interesting.
But we’re not even having this conversation if not for the dynamic play of Maxey and Edgecombe.
Edgecombe looked a bit like a rookie in Game 1. It’s understandable. The Sixers have asked so much of the 20-year-old, it’s only fair to allow him a few growing pains. He got over those — and some physical pains after a nasty fall in the first quarter — rather quickly.
In Game 2, Edgecombe was arguably the best player on the court. Think about how remarkable that is for a second when the court featured Maxey, George, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (who was also quite brilliant for Boston Tuesday). He dropped 30 points, the first Sixers rookie to do so since Andrew Toney (against the Celtics, of course) back in 1981. He also had 10 rebounds, making him the youngest player in NBA history to go for 30 points and 10 rebounds and the first rookie to do it since Tim Duncan in 1998.
The moment is never too big for this kid.
Much like opening night, Edgecombe’s historical performance overshadowed Maxey’s work. It wasn’t the most efficient evening for the All-Star guard, but he came alive when it mattered most, scoring 12 of his 29 points in the fourth. Boston was able to whittle the Sixers’ lead down to two with under six minutes to go. Maxey, sensing the game slipping away from his team, pulled up and knocked down a three. After a stop on the other end, he buried another.
That quickly, the Celtics went from being down a bucket to trailing by three possessions. After another big three from Edgecombe to push the lead to 13, Maxey got downhill and finished off a beautiful up-and-under layup. Tatum fouled him for an and-one. The TD Garden crowd was silenced, but you could hear Maxey giving the Celtics’ bench and crowd the business.
These dogs bark and bite.
The Sixers tied the series up 1-1 heading back to South Philly for Game 3 Friday night. It’s what Maxey and Edgecombe have done all season long. Even if Boston rips off the next three games, this was just another example of the grit this team has shown all season, led by its electric backcourt.
And though it seems like they’ve been playing together forever, their partnership is only just beginning.
