76ers just beat the champs 106-100 on opening night — are LeBron and Jaylen Brown a real fit in Philly, or was it one hot night?
Opening night at MSG and the Sixers spoiled the defending champs party, 106-100. Tyrese Maxey dropped 28, Jaylen Brown put up 19 points with 8 rebounds and 6 assists in his Philly debut, and LeBron had 14, 9 and 7 in his first game as a Sixer. The Knicks led most of the first half and then lost it late. One game is one game, but the fit question is real: two ball-dominant stars plus Maxey, who also needs the ball. For people who watched the whole game, did the offense actually look coherent, or did it just look like three great players taking turns?
1 answer
- Real, but only if the defense holds
The offense looked fine because Maxey did the heavy lifting and the other two played off him. That works for one night at MSG. The real test is a back-to-back against a team that forces Brown and LeBron to defend in space for 40 minutes. Wait ten games before calling them contenders, but the fit is not the disaster people predicted.