VJ Edgecombe, 76ers get hot, steal Game 2 against ice-cold Celtics

VJ Edgecombe and the 76ers shook off their Sport 1 blowout and punched the Celtics again in Sport 2, claiming a 111-97 victory in entrance of a surprised TD Backyard to even the sequence at 1-1.

Listed here are the takeaways. 

VJ Edgecombe modified the complexion of the sport (and sequence)

The Sixers rookie made a press release within the staff’s season opener towards the Celtics, so Tuesday’s explosion might have seemed uncomfortably acquainted to Celtics followers who’ve been watching because the begin of the yr.

Edgecombe began sturdy, exploding to the rim for his first basket and flattening a few mid-range jumpers earlier than unloading a barrage of 3-pointers that helped the Sixers construct a lead with slightly respiratory room earlier than the half. He was quieter within the second half after placing up 21 within the first, however his triple with three minutes remaining was the dagger that despatched many Celtics followers streaming for the exits. 

Edgecombe completed with 30 factors on 12-for-20 taking pictures, together with 6-for-10 from behind the arc, and — as a rookie — has dragged the Sixers again into competition within the sequence. We’ll get to the way in which the Celtics defended him subsequent, however in his post-game feedback, Jaylen Brown talked about Edgecombe by identify thrice unprompted as he defined what went flawed for the Celtics.

“I believed Edgecombe was simply too snug, and he constructed a rhythm and was simply capable of have an excessive impression on the sport,” Brown stated. “Additionally, he had six 3s, which, he’s a succesful shooter. 

“We’ve simply received to regulate and be prepared to protect him. He’s a ball participant. He’s a rookie however he can play. We’ve received to be higher on him.”

The Celtics are going to wrestle in drop protection

Edgecombe wasn’t the one Sixers guard to blow up. Tyrese Maxey went off within the fourth, scoring 12 of his 29 factors within the closing quarter because the Sixers pulled away. 

The Sixers guards feasted on the Celtics’ drop protection within the pick-and-roll, with bigs backed up behind the play to comprise the drive whereas the Celtics guards tried to navigate the display. Far too most of the Sixers’ 3-point makes an attempt seemed like this:

“I’m going to be sincere, I feel all of us knew the place the photographs had been going to return from,” Edgecombe stated after the sport. “We knew the place we had been going to get the photographs from, the place the assistance was going to be at.”

Joe Mazzulla referred to as it “low-hanging fruit” to notice the drop protection, however no fruit may very well be hanging decrease than Neemias Queta within the screenshot above, camped out on the free-throw line as Maxey navigated the Drummond display and walked into an open triple. Each Maxey and Edgecombe loved acres of area to function with the Celtics’ bigs pinned again within the lane, they usually each loved all that area immensely.

The Celtics have been actually good at defending in drop protection this yr, however a few issues are working towards that technique right here. 

First, Andre Drummond is an elite screener; Mazzulla referred to as screening “among the best issues he does,” which felt applicable. 

Second, for all of his wonderful protection this season, Derrick White struggled with Maxey in 1-on-1 matchups. Drummond’s screening added a second layer to these struggles. 

Popping out of drop protection is a tough ask as properly, since Maxey is simply too quick for Queta, and far too quick for Nikola Vucevic, who didn’t have a very good sport. 

“There’s clearly issues that we’ll do in another way subsequent sport, be able to do in another way subsequent sport, however on the similar time, we have now to pay attention to what’s on the opposite aspect of that,” Mazzulla stated. 

As a staff, the Sixers shot 19-for-39 (48.7 %) from deep after going 4-for-23 in Sport 1. 

Two questionable photographs by Jayson Tatum had been pricey

We’ve got spent a variety of time writing concerning the wonders of Jayson Tatum’s return to the ground — and we are going to reiterate it truly is one thing of a medical miracle that he’s on this place — however meaning we additionally must acknowledge when he struggles. 

On Tuesday, Tatum had two significantly pricey misses. 

The primary was with 7:37 remaining and the Celtics trailing by seven. The Celtics spent a stunning period of time caught round that vary, struggling to dig themselves out of a comparatively shallow gap as a result of their chilly 3-point taking pictures (extra on that in a minute), however, after Maxey missed a layup, Tatum grabbed the rebound and raced up the ground. With simply Payton Pritchard on the offensive finish with him and 4 Sixers round him, Tatum stopped and hoisted a really tough 3-pointer that banged off the again rim. 

One possession later, Tatum related on a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound by Pritchard, and the Celtics managed to trim the result in two. Maxey missed a 3-pointer, the Celtics received the rebound, TD Backyard was rocking, and all of the sudden it seemed just like the Celtics may need an opportunity to steal the win in spite of everything. 

Then, the Celtics ran eight seconds of an offensive set, and the ball discovered its strategy to Tatum on the wing. He launched one other 3-pointer in a short time with a hand in his face and missed it badly brief. On the following two possessions, Maxey buried 3-pointers out of the pick-and-roll towards (you guessed it) drop protection, and the lead was again to eight. The Celtics by no means critically challenged once more. 

“Maxey simply walked into two large threes back-to-back once we had minimize the result in two,” Brown stated. “So we’ll watch it and see what we could be higher at there, however that was two large momentum performs that helped them draw back.”

Tiny margins can change a playoff sport. If the Celtics scored on both of the aforementioned possessions that led to mediocre seems to be early within the shot clock for Tatum, the sport may need had a really totally different really feel down the stretch. 

Tatum completed with 19 factors on 8-for-19 taking pictures to go together with 14 rebounds and 9 assists.

The Celtics couldn’t purchase a bucket

Tatum definitely wasn’t alone in lacking photographs. The Celtics had been a putrid 13-for-50 from 3-point vary (26 %). Tatum and Sam Hauser had been each 2-for-8, Vucevic was 1-for-4, Pritchard was 0-for-4, and White was 2-for-10. Solely Brown, who received sizzling within the second half, saved the Celtics from maybe their worst taking pictures night time of the season by going 5-for-12. 

“We belief Payton. We belief Sam. We belief Baylor,” Brown stated. “We belief all of these guys to return in and impression the sport. We’ve simply received to proceed to remain in keeping with that, and we’ll be okay.”

Mazzulla agreed with a reporter who requested if the missed photographs put strain on the protection. 

“I believed we received nice seems to be,” Mazzulla added. “I believed we missed them, and also you take a look at it, 91-89, they go on a run, we missed a variety of good photographs, and we don’t get them. You have got to have the ability to rating in shut video games towards a staff like that, they usually made extra photographs on us down the stretch.”

Jaylen Brown scored quite a bit

The Celtics’ offensive struggles had little or no to do with Brown, who completed with 36 factors on 11-for-24 taking pictures. Brown’s 5-for-8 taking pictures from three within the second half helped, however he additionally received to the free-throw line 12 occasions whereas tallying seven rebounds and 4 assists. 

Now it’s the Celtics’ flip for a intestine examine

The Sixers took a haymaker to the jaw in Sport 1 and countered with a pointy jab. 

Now the Celtics want to indicate that they’re manufactured from sterner stuff than they seemed in Sport 2. The loss had shades of final yr’s sequence towards the Knicks previous to Tatum’s harm, because the Knicks stole each video games in Boston when the Celtics went chilly and blew double-digit leads. Sport 3 all of the sudden seems to be uncomfortably vital for a first-round sequence. 

The Celtics, nevertheless, say they’re up for it, and their playoff historical past suggests we will consider them.

“I’m wanting ahead to it,” Brown stated. “I’m wanting ahead to the movie session. We’re nonetheless studying and rising as a staff, so these alternatives, you possibly can take a look at it as a adverse or you possibly can take a look at it as a constructive. So we’ll be taught from it after which we’ll get again to Celtics basketball.”

Each Brown and Tatum, maybe significantly Tatum, have had large video games towards the Sixers within the playoffs earlier than. 

“Playoffs is a curler coaster,” Tatum stated. “I feel what I’ve realized all through my 9 years within the playoffs is simply keep even-keeled all through proper? I feel the staff that sticks collectively and does that from an emotional standpoint will probably be effective.”

What’s subsequent

The Celtics and Sixers have two days off earlier than Friday’s sport at Wells Fargo Area, which will probably be on Amazon Prime — the third fully separate community in as many video games — at 7 p.m. Sport 4 will happen on Sunday at 7 p.m. earlier than the sequence comes again to Boston on Tuesday.