Boston Celtics Negate Joel Embiid's Return, Decisively Takes Game 2 Victory

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid had finally laid claim on the MVP award that he has long been chasing after, but despite him being on the floor for Game 2, the Boston Celtics came away with the victory to tie the series at one apiece.

From the get-go, the Celtics were unwilling to let the Sixers get into their rhythm offensively as they held them to just 49 points, while Boston surged ahead with 57 points.

There was little to write home about regarding the Sixers' performance on the floor as they could not buy a bucket at all, with Embiid only netting 15 points while Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and James Harden combined for just 41 points.

Compared to their Game 1 victory, the offense was extremely stagnant as the Sixers were looking to get Embiid involved in the game early and often, which eventually led to their downfall as the so-called "others" on the team struggled to get into a rhythm of their own.

Case in point, Harden and Maxey who shot 8-for-28 from the floor and Philadelphia quickly waved the white flag in the fourth quarter as their starters did not play any of the final 12 minutes.

On the other side of the floor, Jaylen Brown shined on a night when Jayson Tatum's shot was extremely off.

With a 25-point performance leading all scorers, Brown's ability to get to the rim for an easy layup and floater plus Marcus Smart holding down the fort on the defensive end were the difference-makers.

"Just trying to be aggressive and take what the defense gives me. I feel like I can get to the basket whenever I want so just trusting the game and what the game tells you to do and playing basketball like the way I know how," Brown said in the post-game interview.

However, the reigning Eastern Conference Champions could not have done it without the efforts of this season's NBA Sixth Man of the Year in Malcolm Brogdon.

Any time the Sixers were looking to make a decent run, Brogdon would make a three-pointer to kill the momentum while also being smart enough to make the extra pass on his way to a 23-point, six-assist performance while shooting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.

One interesting stat for both teams is their three-point shooting, with Boston making 20-of-51 while Philadelphia was at a dismal 6-of-30.

As Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla pointed out in the post-game press conference, they did not just put up three-pointers for the sake of doing so, but it was very much within the flow of their offense.

The Celtics have been the most well-balanced team throughout this season, and with them being able to get a much-needed victory to stay in the series, the onus is on the Sixers to find the magic that allowed them to steal Game 1 when they return to their home floor.

Game 3 will be played on the Sixers' home floor of Wells Fargo Center on Friday, May 5 with the tip-off slated for 7:30 PM ET.