VJ Maxx! This nickname for V.J. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey is growing on me...
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Tuesday's Game 2 victory was absolutely BRILLIANT! I am so proud of this team. They came into Game 2 with a whole different type of energy. I think any nervousness from Game 1 totally evaporated and they were just ready to play. They moved faster, played more physical, and seemingly stopped overthinking in general.
It was really electric to watch. I haven't been this excited about a basketball game in awhile. The Sixers started strong, and then the Celtics hit the Sixers with a brutal 16-0 run and I was thinking it was about to be Game 1 all over again...
But the Sixers proved they have a backbone and started to cook. V.J. Edgecombe started the momentum shift in a big way when he scored 16 points in the second quarter alone. By halftime he had 20.
The Sixers had an eight point lead at halftime and weathered the storm from that point on. Paul George was pretty steady throughout on both sides of the ball.
But Tuesday was mainly about V.J. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey. After V.J. Edgecombe went off in the second quarter, Tyrese closed the show in the fourth. The Celtics managed to cut the Sixers' lead to two late in the fourth when Tyrese said 'NOPE, not on my watch!'. Tyrese promptly drained two brutal threes to extend the lead back to eight and eventually the Sixers took control once again on their way to a fairly convincing victory.
CINEMA. PURE CINEMA! I was soooooo hyped!!!!
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30 points and 10 rebounds from a 6'4" rookie guard in Mr. Edgecombe. As the video title explains, he's the first rookie to do so since TIM DUNCAN who is a legendary Hall of Fame 6'11" power forward. The man is a DAWG!!!! Edgecombe's also officially the youngest player to drop 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game in NBA history, surpassing MAGIC JOHNSON.
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An unforgettable night no matter what happens the rest of the series!
As fun as Game 2 was, it was one game. Now that I, as a fan, have tasted success I want more! Buuuuut the Celtics are still really good and it's not gonna be easy. They probably won't shoot the ball nearly as poorly as they did in Game 2 and it will be pretty hard for the Sixers to replicate their excellent shooting performance as well.
The Sixers and Celtics sort of flip flopped in Game 1 and 2 from a shooting perspective. I imagine there will be a return to baseline in Game 3, where both teams shoot at a more average rate I guess. But what do I know, this is the playoffs and these things are hard to predict.
Maybe it's just the optimistic Sixers fan in me but the energy of this series has shifted. The Sixers have belief now and that's going to be hard to shake. Game 1 went predictably well for the Celtics but Game 2 went rather unpredictably well for the Sixers. I mean the Sixers won but it really didn't feel like a fluke if that makes sense. The Sixers showed a very interesting level of composure. The Celtics were never fully out of it mathematically, but the Sixers never seemed rattled either. Maybe I'm delusional, time will tell I guess.
Now the Sixers are in Philly for Game 3 and I KNOW the crowd is going to be absolutely tweaking! I AM SO PUMPED!
Apparently Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful too... Now that would be something if he played!
I'm just having fun with it all! Let's goooooooo!