The Brooklyn Nets topped the Philadelphia 76ers 111-102 on Saturday, but the top story wasn't even on the court. That was their most all season and tied a franchise playoff high also done on April 27, 1989, at Utah in the first round.
But the Hall of Famer had a front row seat to see Ben Simmons mimic the signature celebratory gesture amidst an explosive, game-changing run. The fact that he had 10 rebounds, 12 assists, 18 points was fantastic, but I thought that his defensive effort on D'Angelo (Russell) was spectacular. Tonight they'll play again in Game 2 - can they do the unthinkable and repeat their performance to take a 2-0 series lead heading back to Brooklyn?
But it was Jimmy Butler's 36 points that kept the 76ers within reach of a win.
This was the start of a historic quarter - the 76ers finished with 51 points in the frame, tying the all-time NBA Playoff record for points in a quarter.
The crowd at the Wells Fargo Center was not too pleased during the Sixers' Game 1 loss as boos rang out throughout a disappointing second half.
So the fourth quarter was a bit of a bore. We're focused on Game 2.
Having a reliable bench is great, especially when the 76ers' depth is widely considered to be their biggest weakness. "I thought Joel's lack of playing and his inevitable lack of conditioning, which is connected, didn't let us try to go to him as much as I wished in just basic paint touches".
Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on May 3, 2018 in Boston.
Brooklyn's offense seemed to work well from the start as the Nets got out to a nine-point lead after the first quarter, 31-22. Unfortunately for them, the 76ers are such a talented team that it's nearly inevitable they'll play better than they did in Game 1. I wouldn't want to be in a place where they didn't really care or only showed up when times were going well. "I think if I'm getting everybody involved and getting everybody else easy shots, I think the game goes a different way".
Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley were ejected with 4:41 to go, just 19 seconds after they received double-technicals when Durant stripped Beverley and the Clippers guard fell into the scorer's table.
Philly outrebounded Brooklyn 49-32 on the night, with Embiid (10), Simmons (8) and Marjanovic (8) doing the bulk of the damage on the glass. However, with Embiid's knee being an issue and the Nets being hungry, I wouldn't be surprised if they advanced.
The Raptors lost Game 1 of a playoff series.
After the win, he summed up the Nets' mindsets perfectly.