Tyrese Maxey finishes with 29 points and nine assists in a Game 2 win for the Sixers.
The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers have a rich postseason history and, for decades, stood as one of the league’s original rivalries. It was one with epic performances and finishes, especially in the 1980s, when their playoff series often sent the eventual NBA champion to the NBA Finals.
Fast forward to today, and there’s a scent of a rivalry brewing again, if only because their first-round series is tied at one game each and suspense has entered the building.
The Sixers have the next two games in Philly and should have an emotional boost. Expect all the old-time legends (like Allen Iverson and Julius Erving) to sit courtside and provide motivation.
However, Iverson and Erving can’t suit up and play for the Sixers. It’s up to the current players lacking in championship experience to keep the series moving in a positive direction. That won’t be a simple task against a team that’s healthier, bringing higher expectations and championship mettle with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Whether this series elevates in terms of intrigue and intensity, therefore, falls on the shoulders of the Sixers and whether they can either maintain the home court or at least split the next two games.
Here’s what to watch for Game 3 tonight (7 ET, Prime Video) in Philadelphia:
1. What is Maxey’s mindset?
The following statement is to be taken in context and isn’t meant to offer a comparison. Now that it’s understood, here it goes — the last time the Sixers were led in the playoffs by a quicksilver point guard who caused whiplash and broke ankles and was tough to contain was Iverson.
The latest problem for other teams is Tyrese Maxey, who can shift gears off the dribble and change directions on a dime and score on anyone the Celtics offer up in defense. Sometimes two Celtics.
How Maxey craves the ball in big moments is something to behold. He was always a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body, although in his case, that’s not such a bad thing. If Maxey has the will, the Sixers might find a way to win more than a game against Boston, and Maxey definitely has the will.
The playoffs have a way of exposing you for the player you truly are, with every game and often every possession magnified along with the demands. Some players gravitate toward this, while others regress.
Maxey’s shooting hasn’t always been sharp in this series, but he doesn’t allow the misses to discourage him. As the Sixers continue without Joel Embiid, Maxey can’t afford to lose confidence.
2. Embiid’s status for Game 3
The elephant in the room, metaphorically speaking, of course, is the former Kia MVP and Sixers starting center. He can change an entire game or maybe even a best-of-seven series, but is currently inactive because of injury. The identity of that person isn’t very hard to know.
This has been Embiid’s career, for the most part. His games played and games missed, if placed on opposite ends of a scale, would show an even balance. This season, he played just 38 games.
But the longer the Sixers stretch this series, the more the possibility — nothing certain, but still — that Embiid, upgraded as doubtful for Game 3, could heal up in time to see action.
The last thing the Sixers will do is rush their big man back from an emergency appendectomy, which he suffered on April 9. He has entered the next phase of his rehab, but hasn’t done any contact drills. That means it’s safe to assume he’s more likely not to play than to play, which means more Adem Bona and Andre Drummond in the post.
But Sixers fans can dream. If somehow this series is tougher than anyone imagined and Embiid, who averaged 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, finds a way to suit up…well, let’s just pencil that in for the event of the entire playoffs.
3. Brown ready to take over?
The one constant for the Celtics, not only in this series but all season, is Jaylen Brown and his high level of performance. He’s averaging 31 ppg in the playoffs and is the only Celtics player hitting his 3-pointers (at 50%). All this comes on the heels of a Kia MVP-flavored regular season where he carried the Celtics for stretches and finished among the league’s top scorers and rebounding guards.
His next trip, if it becomes necessary, is to carry the Celtics through this series, especially if the 3-pointers don’t fall for his teammates and the Sixers somehow get juiced by two home games.
Speaking of the home court, the Celtics are not pushovers on the road. Only Detroit, San Antonio and Oklahoma City were better in hostile arenas. And again, this was without Tatum for the most part.
Brown enjoys being one of the league’s top players, an ascent that began with his performance in the 2024 NBA Finals, and he intends to keep his place in line. The best way is to be the finest player on the floor, starting with this series.
In that sense, so far anyway, it’s Brown vs. Maxey. Who will be the last player standing at the end?
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA since 1985. You can e-mail him at spowell@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
