BOSTON — As the door to the Philadelphia 76ers’ locker room opened in the bowels of TD Garden, following a 111-97 victory against the host Celtics, evening a first-round playoff series 1-1, Trendon Watford welcomed the oncoming horde of media members.“I told you,” he said, “‘You’re gonna get some good s**** to write about.’”He was right. The Sixers had given us something to consider. The seventh seed, if they can prolong this series, might just have a chance, and his name is Joel Embiid.
The one-time MVP has been sidelined since April 9, ever since his appendectomy.“Godspeed, brother,” said Sixers wing Kelly Oubre Jr., who made two of his team’s 19 3-pointers on the night, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds. “But at the end of the day it would be the biggest lift we could ask for right now. He’s such a talent, and he’s our guy.
Praying for his recovery. Hope everything’s going well back at home.”The 76ers will return to Philadelphia, where Embiid is recovering, having stolen one of two games in Boston. Having bounced back from a 32-point blowout in Game 1 to force the issue: Could the undermanned Sixers steal another one at home in Game 3 or 4, forcing a Game 6 in the City of Brotherly Love on April 30, when Embiid would be three weeks removed from surgery?
The Sixers aren’t saying Embiid will be back.They also aren’t saying he won’t be.“We’re gonna go home and check on him,” added Oubre, the 11-year veteran. “Everybody gonna huddle around him and say a prayer, so he can come back. I think he’s doing everything he possibly can, so it’d be the biggest lift we could ask for.”Well, the biggest one since rookie VJ Edgecombe became the youngest player ever to record 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game on Tuesday.
The Rookie of the Year finalist made every shot the Celtics gave him, and they gave him a lot, if only because they had to collapse their defense onto Tyrese Maxey (29 points, 9 assists).“You did that?” George asked Edgecombe, congratulating the rookie.“He’s been impressive all season long,” added George. “To put a whole season together and get to this point, where he’s showcasing who he is and his abilities. I’ve been saying it all year long: He’s far past a rookie.” George turned to Edgecombe.“Are you 21 yet?” the nine-time All-Star asked.“No,” said the rookie.
“I’m 20.”There’s no telling what his ceiling is, and that’s scary for the Celtics. Because when paired with Maxey and George, that is … something for the Sixers, even without Embiid. Whether it is enough to contend with Jaylen Brown (36 points on Tuesday), Jayson Tatum (one assist shy of a triple-double), Derrick White and the rest of Boston’s stellar supporting cast, time will tell.
Embiid, too, might have a say.“They’re not really a traditional seventh seed,” Tatum reminded us after Game 1, when his Celtics looked like world-beaters. “They’re a really, really talented team. Nick Nurse is a championship coach. … They’re a really complete team.
Obviously, they’re missing Joel, but they’ve got some really talented guys, some guys that play hard.”The Sixers felt like they didn’t make the Celtics feel like Game 1 was a playoff game. Boston was prepared for battle. Philadelphia was not.
But there was reason for that.“As far as the 30-point loss, this is [Adem] Bona’s first time in the playoffs, VJ’s first time, Justin [Edwards’] first time, [Dominick] Barlow’s first time — that’s four guys who played Game 1 for the first time in TD Garden against the Boston Celtics, who won a championship a couple years ago,” said Maxey. “So, listen, I wasn’t too worried about it. Every loss in the playoffs sucks, whether you lose by 1 or 40 … they all don’t feel good.
It’s just one game, though. It’s just one game. Now, it’s 1-1 and who cares?”Yes, the 76ers “came out more physical” in Game 2, a cliche they all proudly touted, but they also shot the hell out of the ball.
They made 19-of-39 3-point attempts. Only twice all year — a pair of blowout victories — did the Sixers shoot better from deep.Meanwhile, the Celtics missed 37 of their 50 3-point attempts. On only one occasion all season — a 105-103 loss to the tanking Utah Jazz — did they miss more.
The shot-quality crowd will tell you Boston should have won Game 2 by 15. And they’d be right.But Philadelphia also figured out something from Game 1.“Every time I drove, they were collapsing, collapsing, collapsing,” said Maxey, bound for an All-NBA team, “so I had to watch the film and realize, OK look, for us to be good in this series, I’ve got to get in the paint, pass the ball, get my teammates involved.”It’s on Boston to make the next adjustment out onto Philadelphia’s shooters.But Philly might have an adjustment of its own coming, and his name is Joel Embiid.