The Sixers were going to lose in Boston. Fans had long been accustomed to that over the previous four decades whether that be in regular season matchups or in the playoffs. On Opening Night on Wednesday, the Sixers trailed the Celtics by 11 entering the fourth quarter. I had made peace with the loss, mentally, at that point, given that my expectations for this season weren’t super high to begin with and I was ready to combust with how good both VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey looked.
Something strange happened in that final quarter. The Sixers erased that 11-point deficit and gritted out a one-point win at the TD Garden. Sixers fans who had previously resigned themselves to a morale victory because of Edgecombe’s historic debut and Maxey’s bag of scoring tricks could sleep well knowing their squad toughened up and flat-out beat a team that has always given them fits.
I went from being in coping full-on loser mode on my couch saying, “Just cut it to single digits by the end of the third…” to watching the fourth quarter while pacing around my living room for that comeback W. It was glorious and refreshing.
Look, I know Boston was undermanned and down Jayson Tatum of all people, but they are well-coached, remain ruthless defensively and have championship pedigree down to the 2024 NBA Finals MVP being out there on Wednesday evening.
I loved the way the Sixers crashed the offensive glass while trailing. The Sixers’ shooters were fairly cold outside of the Edgecombe-Maxey turbo team, so fighting for every chance they could was essential to getting them back in this thing. Dominick Barlow, in his Sixers debut, grabbed five offensive rebounds on the night, including two in the fourth. One led to an assist from Barlow, who kicked it out to Edgecombe for a triple and another ended up as a put-back dunk from Barlow himself. Those are little things over the course of 48 minutes, but provided huge, huge dividends.
Maxey is obviously tailor-made to be a closer with his scoring touch as a lead ball-handler late in games and in the clutch, but Edgecombe showcased that he can be relied upon in those situations as well, leaving the team with multiple options to slam the door shut in opponents’ faces. The Sixers have a legitimate grinder at power forward now in Barlow who appears destined to become a fan-favorite and a pair of scoring guards that the franchise has never had. Before even getting into what Paul George or Joel Embiid could bring to the table this year if things work out well enough health wise, the Sixers have the pieces to be a plucky bunch, wearing teams with strength and finesse in equal parts.
Winning a season-opening game just feels so good, doesn’t it? How different is the narrative on Thursday if everyone is just solemnly talking about Edgecombe popping but thinking this season is already going south. Something special might not happen with the team come next April and May, let alone June, but if the Sixers can diversify their style, winning like this with clutch scoring and intestinal fortitude, the next few months should still be a blast and a sign of greater things to come in the ensuing years.
Is it Saturday night in South Philly yet?
See More: