Sixers Bell Ringer Season Standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 23.5
VJ Edgecombe – 16
Joel Embiid – 13.5
Paul George – 9
Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5
Justin Edwards – 4
Andre Drummond – 3
Quentin Grimes – 3
Jared McCain – 3
Dominick Barlow – 2
MarJon Beauchamp – 2
Adem Bona – 1
Porter Martone – 1
Cam Payne – 1
Jabari Walker – 1
Trendon Watford – 1
15th roster spot – 1
Here we are, in what might be the heaviest Bell Ringer post in quite some time. The seven-seeded Philadelphia 76ers knocked off the Boston Celtics with a 109-100 Game 7 win on the road, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
This game had big stakes beyond just the current playoff picture. The Sixers hadn’t beaten the Celtics in over 40 years, and until now had never come back from 3-1 down to win a series. This year’s team has officially made history, knocking off the favored Celtics in the process.
They’ll take on the New York Knicks in the second round starting Monday night.
Many names were vital in this team effort, of course. I’m not one to put an asterisk on this award, but this Bell Ringer carries a little something extra. Let’s dive into the box score and see which guys are up for it.
Joel Embiid: 34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover
Embiid came out as a man on a mission, playing the entire first frame and immediately producing in a variety of ways: 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and five assists to go along with zero turnovers. The big man was playing in his own world, and it showed right from the jump. A tale as old as time, the backup big came in and nuked a lot of Embiid’s early work, with Andre Drummond doing the damage tonight. Embiid checked back in less than four minutes later and was a big stabilizer in the Sixers not leaking away their entire early lead.
That domination carried over quickly into the second half, with Embiid plowing his way to the rim on numerous possessions, generating free throws, and even having a back and forth with Celtics star Jaylen Brown. Head coach Joe Mazzula hasn’t had an answer for Embiid since he returned mid-series, and this game was an embodiment of that, with the Celtics resorting to Hugo Gonzalez and other small defenders just to switch things up and throw him off. Embiid looked like a man possessed during this stretch — sealing, blocking out, and just going to the rim over and over.
Unsurprisingly, Embiid was instrumental down the stretch. The Celtics went on a run to trim the lead to single digits, but he poured in a few midrange baskets and was all over the place on loose ball plays, diving and doing a lot of the dirty work down low. He didn’t play much in the final minutes as the game devolved into free throws, and he took two nasty collisions to the knee, but this was a massive statline and performance. He finally beat the dreaded Boston Celtics, and he was a major factor in doing so.
VJ Edgecombe: 23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 turnovers
One of the under-the-radar storylines of this series has been the Sixers’ 3rd overall pick getting valuable playoff reps, and now experiencing a Game 7. We’ve seen highs and lows from the 20-year-old, with this game being one of the higher points for the rookie. It came at the best time possible, as it was his most efficient performance since Game 2 when he scored 30 points. Edgecombe did well staying ready, as the Celtics frequently put help defenders on him which opened up several looks that he mostly cashed in on. His three-point shot had been missing for stretches of this series, but it was falling tonight. He also did well converting on several fast breaks in the first half.
Edgecombe took on some of the tougher assignments defensively as well. He was the primary defender on Derrick White, who finally found some offensive rhythm in the first half, and really made him work for baskets. White ended the game just 8-of-21 from the field. Edgecombe also took on some of the Payton Pritchard assignment, who has been one of Boston’s better players this series. Defense is hard to track in a box score, but Edgecombe did well affecting this game on both ends. The third quarter featured some excellent offensive sequences from him, including a nice pass fake and made three, and a clutch corner three to keep the Celtics at bay.
Edgecombe wasn’t much of a factor down the stretch, as Maxey and Embiid did their thing to seal the game. But the rookie looked far from out of place in this high-stakes environment and was a big factor in his first ever Game 7. He finished with five made threes, and shot a solid 8-of-17 from the floor. Some players just thrive under the lights, and Edgecombe continues to be one of them. Edgecombe finished with a game-best +19 in plus-minus, with Embiid trailing behind at +11.
Tyrese Maxey: 30 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover
This was an interesting game for Maxey in the sense that it wasn’t a flashy, or even hot, scoring start. In fact it was the opposite. Maxey was mostly quiet from an individual scoring perspective, finishing the half in single digits and rarely generating his own shot. Early on though, he did well in other areas, particularly playmaking and rebounding. Maxey logged six assists in the first quarter alone and was crucial crashing the boards, which led to run outs and fast breaks.
He began to make some noise offensively in the third quarter, hitting a pair of threes and converting some layups off drives. The Sixers began to pull away largely because of Maxey not just protecting the lead, but extending it. Embiid briefly left in the third to get some treatment on his side, and Maxey kept the team afloat. His understated box score had ballooned to an impressive 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists after three quarters.
That stellar stretch carried well into the fourth, with Maxey continuing to make shots long after the offense went stagnant around him. Embiid was the only other Sixer to score multiple baskets in the frame. Without Maxey, the Sixers don’t generate enough offense and probably sink in the fourth quarter.
