Philadelphia 76ers fans who said ‘We want Boston’ didn’t sulk as they did after Game 1. The team delivered a performance filled with character and resilience. The 76ers didn’t just battle from a 13-point first-quarter deficit. Rookie VJ Egdecombe went to the locker room twice after a nasty fall. But heroes always rise. That’s what Philly’s dynamic backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and Edgecombe did tonight.

The tandem combined for 59 of the 76ers’ 111 points in a pivotal Game 2 win over the Shamrocks. Edgecombe led the way, with 30 points and 10 boards in just his second postseason game. He joined an elusive list of rookies to crack that stat line, last done by the Spurs’ Tim Duncan in 1998.

“He’s a rookie, but he can play. We’ve got to be better on him,” The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown said about Edgecombe’s fantastic performance at the TD Garden.

But in the playoffs, it’s all about defending home court if you’re the higher seed. The Celtics didn’t loosen the leash on this game. They had a run of their own, bringing the game to a 91-89 impasse in the fourth quarter. Brown was instrumental in the Celtics’ attempted fightback late in the game.

The Celtics’ top performer finished the night with a game-high 36 points, with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. His partner in crime, Jayson Tatum, had an inefficient shooting night, but came one assist shy of a triple-double. Maybe the Shamrocks would have completed a comeback had it not been for Tyrese Maxey.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ explosive scoring guard started and finished the game on a high note. In the fourth quarter, he scored 12 of his 29, hitting nylon on three of his four attempts from beyond the arc. All of his production came in the last seven minutes, after Brown made it a two-point game.

The series now shifts to Philly, with Joel Embiid’s status still in doubt. However, the 76ers just showed that they are just as dynamic as the Celtics, even without The Process.

The Celtics and their toxic relationship with threes

In the first game, everything went the way the Celtics would have hoped. They won every quarter of basketball and used their three-point mastery to blow the 76ers out of the water. That was the plan again. However, even when things got tough, the Celtics just didn’t walk away from their volume shooting.

They attempted 50 shots from beyond the arc, making just 13. Even when Joe Mazzulla emptied the bench for the final minute, they exclusively shot triples. It proved to be a slippery slope as volume didn’t equate to rhythm for most of the players.

Derrick White shot 2/10 from three, Tatum and Sam Hauser were both 2/8. On the other hand, the 76ers used the hot hand to inflict most of the damage. 11 of their 19 made threes came between Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. They were the only two players to attempt more than 6 threes for Philly.

The Celtics had an off night, which is fair. For the most part, they have lethal three-point shooters, averaging almost 16 made threes per game in the regular season. They also converted 36.7% of those looks, good to be in the top ten. However, the regular season offers 82 games to experiment and build confidence.

The playoffs are a race. It’s the first to four wins in every series, and home court advantage is the biggest trump card. The Celtics just lost that due to their stubbornness to try something different. Mazzulla and Co. are still going to push the tactic and will probably find success. However, if Joel Embiid manages to return over the coming games, it’s going to complicate this series.