Philadelphia 76ers

To win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals without injured MVP Joel Embiid, every other member of the Philadelphia 76ers had to dig deep for a little something extra. Mission accomplished. With the Boston Celtics clinging to a one-point lead with under a minute to play, Philly came up with an enormous defensive stand when they needed it most. No matter how much the Celtics shuffled the ball around looking for an opening, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, Paul Reed and P.J. Tucker were active and tenacious disruptors until a flustered Malcolm Brogdon threw the ball away right into Maxey’s hands. Maxey cruised to an uncontested fast break layup, setting the stage for Harden to win the game with a go-ahead 3-pointer on the next possession. With everybody working together, the 76ers were able to steal Game 1 on the road with a 119-115 win on May 1, 2023.