In Monday night’s series opener, Philadelphia looked every bit the sluggish team that hadn’t played in about a week.
For the first 16 minutes and 32 possessions of Game 2, the Sixers, particularly veteran JJ Redick, had regained the swagger that had produced 20 victories in their last 22 games – making the Celtics, who’ve not traveled in a week, look like a road-weary, out-of-sync squad.
In those 32 possessions, Boston had committed seven turnovers (at a cost of 14 points) and allowed Philly 10 second chances worth 10 follow-up points – and found themselves in a 42 – 24 hole.