The Philadelphia 76ers’ surprising Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics was a shot in the arm to fans across the Delaware Valley. Before Tuesday night, everyone was collectively shoveling dirt on the grave of the Sixers’ 2025-26 season, but 48 minutes and one wink from VJ Edgecombe has us believing again that Philadelphia isn’t just a hockey town.
In addition to more ambiguous things like “tried harder” and “fought more,” the biggest reason the Sixers won Game 2 was good old-fashioned shooting variance.
Philadelphia shot 19-of-39 (48.7 percent) from three, while Boston shot 13-of-50 (26.0 percent). Those figures were a huge reversal from Game 1, when the Sixers connected on just 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) and the Celtics sank 16-of-44 (36.4 percent). For reference, the Celtics were eighth in the league during the regular season at 36.7 percent and the Sixers were 23rd at 35.3 percent.
So that’s it then? Make or miss league, right? However, the Sixers leaned into a tactical strategy in Game 2. Look at the shot chart for Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined, courtesy of NBA.com Stats.
Look at all of those above-the-break three-point attempts! The starting backcourt took nearly as many shots from that area as the entire team attempted total threes in Game 1. And sure, some of that was Tyrese Maxey showing off some And-1 handles and breaking ankles, but a lot of it was about as simple a basketball play as you can make: take a big man and have him screen for the small man.
Boston’s defense plays drop coverage against high screens, more or less allowing guards to step into looks from the top of the key, rather than give up what are generally considered more efficient shots in the paint or from the short corner. The thing is, though, the Sixers’ offense typically doesn’t generate those more efficient looks. They basically run isos or wait for the shot clock to run down and throw up prayer balls, and I’m generalizing a bit due to a season’s worth of frustration, but anyone would tell you Nick Nurse hasn’t been running a tactical masterclass on that side of the court.
So honestly, run this offense the entire game.
Have Andre Drummond or Adem Bona set a screen up top for Maxey and Edgecombe and tell them to let it fly. Spam the play to death. Be like every 10-year-old video gamer trying to get his Create-A-Player as much action as possible. If they’re not each attempting double-digit threes in each game from here on out, something is wrong. It’s the cleanest path to getting open looks within the offense and, as the underdog, the Sixers should be looking to find ways to increase variance on a nightly basis. There’s no better way to increase variance than by jacking up a bunch of three-pointers. Maybe you actually force the Celtics out of their defensive comfort zone, or maybe you ride the wings of small sample size shooting variance to the promised land (the promised land being the second round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs).
