After a paltry showing in the foremost game of their first round affair, the Philadelphia 76ers completely flipped the script in Game 2, shocking the Boston Celtics at home en route to a comfortable 111-97 win as the series shifts to Philly. Now, they have snatched away homecourt advantage from the East's No. 2 seed, putting some pressure on the latter.
VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey absolutely starred in this critical dub. The 76ers starting backcourt collaborated for 59 points and combined to shoot 11-22 from three-point range. That was a stark contrast from their Game 1 performance, where they only shot a combined 1-9 from rainbow country.
Edgecombe and Maxey's outside shooting ended up being highly contagious for the team. As a whole, the 76ers shot 19-39 from beyond the arc, outscoring the hosts by 18 from the three-point line. The Celtics, meanwhile, hoisted 50 triples and made just 13, so one can say that Philly beat Boston in their own game.
But more than anything, the 76ers just sent a strong reminder to the NBA with this scintillating performance.
76ers send a strong statement to the NBA with rousing Game 2 win
Not a lot of people gave the 76ers any considerable chance at staging an upset. After all, the Celtics are now fully healthy (with Jayson Tatum back) and look flat-out formidabel on both ends whereas Philly is missing the services of Joel Embiid, their best player.
The 76ers, however, have always had a lot of firepower on the roster. In Game 1, they looked like a deer in the headlights, showing a lack of aggression and indecisiveness with the rock. They attempted just 23 three-pointers in that game, making just four in the process, so it was not surprising that Boston swallowed them whole.
They evidently took that breakdown into heart and decided to flip the switch. Philly attempted nearly 40 threes in this one in full recognition of the fact that they cannot allow themselves to get into a hole before the game even starts due to the overwhelming disadvantage in the math game.
Now, all eyes are on the 76ers as they try to prove that their impressive shooting display is no fluke. Their numbers on the average point to a regression to the mean eventually, but as long as they keep that trigger-happy and aggressive mindset intact, they should be in each and every game the rest of the way.
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