BOSTON — The growth of the Sixers was sort of on full display Tuesday night in their shocking win over the Boston Celtics in TD Garden that tied the best-of-seven series at a game apiece. And it wasn't hard to see.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe became the youngest player in NBA postseason history to collect 30 points and 10 rebounds, and carried the team throughout the night, though playing with a sore back he suffered in a nasty first quarter fall. Adem Bona was making his second career playoff start, and while his numbers didn't hint to much, he played a crucial part in setting hard screens for the likes of Edgecombe, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George to get free for scoring opportunities. And Justin Edwards provided 22 strong minutes off the bench, with strong perimeter defense and a big three-pointer with 9:53 to go in the game to give the Sixers a seven-point lead.
And overseeing it all was the new self-proclaimed game-manager of the team. The player who, at all of 25 years old, has been thrust into more of a veteran role than his years would suggest. But Maxey wouldn't have it any other way.
Hindered a bit by a splint still constantly covering his right pinky, Maxey's sharpshooting has been a little off since suffering the tendon injury back on March 7. He knows it, but he also knows that can't stop him from firing, as the team needs his scoring and defenses need to respect it, which opens up the floor for others. Being more of a facilitator, especially now in this Celtics series, is something Maxey has come to accept, while still getting his shots.
"That was kind of my job tonight, to be a floor manager sometimes," said Maxey following Tuesday's 111-97 win in which he poured in 29 points and dealt nine assists.
"Every time I drove, they were collapsing. Collapsing the last game. So I had to watch the film and realize for me, for us to be good in the series I have to get in the paint, pass the ball, get my teammates involved. I have to be about nine, 10, 11 assists a game in this series, and I realized that kind of the second half last game. I kind of just trusted it. I told Paul 'I'm going to come to you down the stretch. Early in the fourth quarter, I've got to get you going, give a different look'. Do all the things we do to get him the ball. And then VJ was VJ. He just does what he does. He handled the ball, he knocked down middies, he got it going early."
And though he thrived in his "new role," Maxey still knew when to return to the lethal scorer that he his when he knocked down consecutive threes after the Celtics had cut the lead to two at 91-89. Maxey's daggers gave the Sixers a 97-89 lead with 5:06 to go in the game and propelled them to the win.
So far for the series, Maxey has shot 19-for-48 (39.6 percent) from the floor and 6-for-16 (37.5 percent) from three. He has dealt 17 assists to just four turnovers. His and Edgecombe's play in the backcourt Tuesday gave a pretty good insight into the future of the franchise in many people's eyes, including those of coach Nick Nurse, who is constantly reminding the two how they need to play for his team.
"It's just the same kind of reminders," Nurse said. "I grab (Edgecombe) and Tyrese together a lot and just continue to remind them to be super aggressive, fire it up there, like keep shooting them no matter what. It is kind of a conversation we have and you have to re-have it and re-have it and just make sure they know you mean it."
Maxey himself has had many conversations leading into the playoffs with his young teammates, also. It is all part of that new veteran leadership role that has been sprung on him. But he also had to see and grasp how the games in this series may play out after the thumping on Sunday.
"I had to realize how they were helping and where they were helping off of and different things like that," Maxey said of the Celtics. "How I can get shots and how I can get my teammates shots? I think we did a good job of that. I think we have Bona's first time in the playoffs, VJ's first time in the playoffs, Justin's first time, (Dominick) Barlow's first time. That's four guys playing Game 1 for the first time in TD Garden against the Boston Celtics, who won a championship a couple years ago.
"I wasn't too worried about it (losing the first game). Every loss in the playoffs sucks. If you lose by one, if you lose by 40, if you lose by three, if they come back to beat you, they all don't feel good. It's just one game, though. Now, it's one win and who cares? Now, we have to go home and try to protect home court."
It's the outlook of a veteran, of someone who's been there before, of someone who needs others to hear his voice. That is who Tyrese Maxey is becoming. Because he knows it's what this team needs from him right now.
