There are many fans who believe the Sixers are cursed — and the evidence is fairly convincing.
Between injuries, guys forgetting how to shoot, front office drama and scandals, point guard holdouts, crushing playoff defeats and everything in between, it does feel like an otherworldly force has been against them in the Joel Embiid era. No championships in over 40 years. No Finals appearances in 25 years. There’s only so much a fanbase can take before it starts drawing supernatural conclusions.
But curses are meant to be broken. Sure, it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time. It takes seismic shifts in both execution and luck.
For the Sixers, the early stages of that shift might have started on draft night in 2020, when they took a young guard out of Kentucky named Tyrese Maxey. Nearly six years later, Maxey’s imprint on the franchise has been indelible.
His talent and leadership are big reasons the Sixers were able to force a Game 7 in Boston this Saturday with a dominant win over the Celtics in Game 6 in Philly on Thursday.
After the Sixers staved off elimination in Game 5 on the road, Maxey was ready to get back to Philly. He was on a mission to make amends for the team’s no-show in Game 4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, calling that performance a “disgrace” and “unacceptable.”
Well, the fans got everything they could ask for in Game 6.
“Fans were amazing, man,” Maxey said. “They showed up and they showed out, so we appreciate them for that. I feel like they deserved the win and we came through.”
The team played about as well as Sixers fans’ wildest dreams could’ve conjured, but Maxey was exceptional Thursday night.
He scored 30 points on an efficient 11-of-22 from the field and 3-of-5 from three. He also dished out five assists and, mostly impressively, committed zero turnovers. It was about as clean and impactful a game as we’ve seen from a point guard around these parts.
In fact, Maxey now has the most 30-point games with zero turnovers by a point guard in NBA postseason history. He’s also the first Sixer to record 30 points, five assists and zero turnovers in a playoff game since Julius Erving back in 1982.
Maxey hasn’t been perfect, but he’s gotten better as the series has gone on. He’s seen how Boston is defending him and finding ways to manipulate their defense, as stars tend to do. The presence of Joel Embiid has helped a great deal, but Maxey is also proving he’s too good to be held down for long.
While there was an adjustment period reintegrating the big fella, Maxey is operating at a high level right now.
“It’s a completely different game for him,” Nick Nurse said postgame. “I think there’s so much more reading of what’s there. Is it time for him to go? Is it time for him to shoot? Is it time for him to go downhill? Is it too much help? Is it time to kick it back? … So I think he’s processing that better with some more games. And I do think he did a great job, again, of directing the team.”
The offensive production is tremendous and necessary, but Maxey has proven to be a complete player in this series.
There’s no denying defense was a weak spot for Maxey coming into the league. As he’s gotten stronger and gained experience, he’s vastly improved on that end of the floor. In years past, players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could hunt Maxey and profit. They’ve sure tried in this series, but Maxey has been up to the task. There was even a play where Maxey wound up on Brown and Kelly Oubre Jr., who’s done a nice job on Brown most of the series, came to help. It led to an open three — and Maxey yelling at Oubre for helping.
In Game 5, Maxey pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds. When asked about it after the game, he said he was simply tired of watching the Celtics swarm the offensive glass and did something about it.
That’s leadership. That’s how you break a curse.
But the biggest opportunity to do so comes against the Boston Celtics, a team the Sixers haven’t defeated in the playoffs in over 40 years, in Game 7 Saturday.
“I believe in the group,” Maxey said. “We’ve been through a lot of adversity this year, last year and it’s a tough group, man. We don’t quit, we don’t give up and we really like each other and enjoy being around each other and enjoy seeing each other successful.”
Maxey’s postgame presser was a bit subdued. Known for his infectious smile and joy for the game, Maxey was business-like. You would never know he just dropped 30 points in a huge home playoff win. He appeared unburdened by the team’s previous missteps, let alone mindful of any curses.
His focus seemed singular — get ready for Game 7.
“Just got to go out there with the right mindset,” he said. “It’s going to be a dogfight, most definitely. It’s going to be fun. Just got to go out there and play as hard as we possibly can. That’s it, man. Just go out there and leave it all out on the floor.”
Pistons
Magic
