No Embiid, No Problem in Game 1
The Philadelphia 76ers sent earthquakes throughout the NBA universe on the night of Monday, May 1. They were able to stun the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals without superstar center Joel Embiid.
To many fans’ surprise, the 76ers defeated the Celtics by a final score of 119-115. The victory was a character-defining moment for the Sixers, as they were able to beat the Celtics on the road in a game that many people thought they would lose. Philly exhausted every ounce of effort and energy they had in order to score the win. A lot of things went right for them, but there were three big reasons why the Sixers stole Game 1.
Refusal to Quit
The first half was certainly an ugly one for the 76ers on the defensive end. Without Joel Embiid, the team struggled to defend anything inside the paint. In the first half alone, Boston scored 40 points in the paint – the most the Celtics had in a single half the entire season.
Even though the Sixers struggled defensively, they refused to quit. With less than four minutes left in the second quarter, Boston led 62-50. Philadelphia was able to go on an end-of-quarter run to cut the Celtics’ lead down to just three points ahead of halftime. De’Anthony Melton contributed 17 points off of the bench in the first two quarters; he hit all of his first five three-point attempts and gave the team a huge spark of energy.
In the second half, the two teams went punch-for-punch with each other by trading 11 leads. The Sixers only had six sporadic leads in the final two quarters, but their refusal to lay down earned them the last laugh.
Even when the Celtics seemed to be hitting every contested shot, the 76ers continued to scratch and claw on defense. Tyrese Maxey found himself in foul trouble midway through the fourth quarter, but he remained aggressive by going for steals. P.J. Tucker had no foul calls go his way, but he still battled for defensive rebounds. The Celtics attacked Paul Reed’s defense all night, but he still remained out of foul trouble.
There were many times when the Celtics seemed to be in complete control of the game, but the 76ers kept battling. Philadelphia refused to quit, and it paid off.
Their Two Young Stars
Tyrese Maxey and Paul Reed, two players Philadelphia acquired in the 2020 NBA Draft, came up huge for the team when they needed them most.
While Tyrese Maxey did not shoot excellently from the field, the Sixers needed every drop of blood, sweat, and tears that he could give them. He carried five fouls with him throughout much of the fourth quarter, but he still finished the game and totaled 26 points.
On the defensive end, Maxey registered a team-high four steals. The most critical steal came in the last minute of play when the Celtics led 113-112 with possession of the basketball; he stole the ball and took it down the court for an easy layup to give his team a one-point advantage with 28.9 seconds left of play. Without Maxey’s contributions, the Sixers likely lose this game.
Paul Reed was the other emerging star that came up big for his team. In place of Joel Embiid, he scored 11 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. In the final minute of play, Reed was sent to the free-throw line four times; the swished all four of his shots. The final two free throw shots virtually put the game on ice, as he extended the Sixers’ lead to four points with 4.6 seconds left of play.
Both Tyrese Maxey and Paul Reed are less than 24 years old. However, they played like experienced veterans in Game 1 and were indispensable in helping their team win.
James Harden Masterclass
James Harden needed to put the team on his back without Embiid, and he did just that.
In 39:21 minutes, Harden made 17-30 field goals and scored 45 points. He looked like the vintage player that many NBA fans remember from his Houston Rockets days.
The most memorable moment of the entire game came when Harden drilled a contested three-point shot with 8.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The shot was the go-ahead score for Philadelphia, as it put the team up by two points after previously being down by one.
If the 76ers windup winning this series, this game will go down as an all-time classic. Harden’s performance in this game may end up being considered to be one of the greatest single-game performances in the Philadelphia 76ers’ history.
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