Vintage Joel Embiid, Maxey madness, and more from an improbable Game 7 victory

BOSTON — Joel Embiid caught the ball on the wing with Jaylen Brown lined up in front of him, clipping at the ball and challenging him to make a bucket. The 76ers center obliged, turning his back to the basket and finishing over the Celtics star.

As Embiid ran back on defense, he demonstratively nodded his head in Brown’s direction, letting him know he wasn’t going to back down.

That sequence and many others like it cemented the Sixers’ improbable return from a three-games-to-one deficit and the franchise’s first NBA playoff series win over the Boston Celtics since 1982. Embiid produced 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in his team’s 109-100 win.

» READ MORE: Sixers eliminate the Celtics in wild Game 7, advance in NBA playoffs

Mind you, he’d completed his own improbable comeback, returning after an appendectomy and 17 days away from the team to recover. Embiid played 36.5 minutes per game in a series few expected him to play. After returning in Game 4 with a bulky bandage around his waist, Embiid met the moment and averaged 28 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists over four games.

And, unlike Brown, Embiid had reinforcements. Celtics star Jayson Tatum had been ruled out shortly before game time, and a ragtag rotation started in his place. Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points and closed out the game, and VJ Edgecombe added to his Boston lore with 23 points. Paul George scored 13 and continued his run of stellar defense.

But that didn’t stop the Celtics from putting a scare into the Sixers. They clawed back several times and had the Sixers on their heels for the final 10 minutes. Derrick White finally played like a star with 26 points, and Brown posted 33.

With the Sixers headed to the second round, here are three things we learned from their Game 7 win here at TD Garden on Saturday night.

This game was Embiid’s from the start. The Sixers’ first play was a pick-and-pop approach, and Embiid knocked down a 14-foot jump shot. Next came an assist to Edgecombe, another to Maxey, and a few buckets of his own. Embiid finished the first half with 19 points and five assists.

Embiid’s most important bucket might have come with 9 minutes, 1 second on the clock. Leading, 90-84, after multiple Celtics comebacks, he caught the ball on the elbow and rose over Neemias Queta for a bucket to stop the bleeding.

Embiid’s ill-advised technical and a Queta and-one got the crowd right back in it. So did another and-one from Brown. But Embiid simply caught the ball at the top of the key and answered with a three, then drew a foul shortly after.

The game’s final stretch did reveal some flaws in the Sixers’ approach. When things get tough, their offense leans too far in Embiid’s direction at times. They were stagnant in the final moments as they force-fed looks for Embiid.

Still, the story here is Embiid’s return. He was properly crowned as he left the court here at TD Garden, raising his hands to “We want Boston” and “MVP” chants.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid and the Sixers finally have their signature playoff moment | David Murphy

When the Sixers needed him most, Maxey did what he has for much of the season as the team’s singular star. When Embiid and George were in and out of the lineup for injuries and suspension, it was Maxey who served as the closer.

He reprised that role when it looked like the Sixers could no longer withstand the Celtics’ late onslaught. Instead of bowling over, Maxey dug in his heels and attacked the rim.

With his team’s lead down to 99-98, Maxey methodically brought the ball up the court, called his own number, and created a way to the rim through the big bodies in the paint.

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The point guard, who stands at only 6-foot-2, was relentless as he scored eight straight points for the Sixers. He scored on back-to-back drives before forcing two fouls and knocking down the free throws.

When he was done, the Sixers had a seven-point lead and, ultimately, a Game 7 victory.

That frame mirrored so many other performances from Maxey, who became a full-time player after pouring in 30 points against the Orlando Magic as a rookie in 2020-21. There have been other moments in his star turn, none bigger than his 46-point masterpiece at Madison Square Garden to extend the Sixers’ season in the 2024 NBA playoffs. He did it again on Saturday.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla will keep you on your toes, that’s for sure. He stunned the entire arena here at TD Garden when the starting lineups were announced and he trotted out a group that had played zero minutes together this season.

Anchored by regular starters Brown and White, Ron Harper Jr., Baylor Scheierman, and Luka Garza got the call to join the starting five in Game 7.

The Sixers got out to a big lead early, reaching its peak at 30-15 before the Celtics trimmed the lead to 32-19 with 18.8 seconds left in the first quarter. Mazzulla started to stagger in rotation players, including Sam Hauser, Queta, and Payton Pritchard as the game became a dogfight.

By halftime, the Sixers led, 55-50. Mazulla kept throwing the book at the Sixers, even a small-ball lineup with Brown at center.

Of course, Mazzulla was only forced to get creative because he didn’t have Tatum, who was ruled out of Game 7 with knee stiffness.

The Celtics star was sorely missed, despite the emergence of White, who struggled offensively in the first six games of the series. Without Tatum, late-game production fell solely on Brown, who took the challenge and defended Embiid on several possessions.

They were no match, however. Embiid continued his brilliance in the paint, Maxey got going in the second half, and Edgecombe returned to form. The series comeback was cemented from there.