May 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) heads back down court after making a three point basket against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
BOSTON -- It's Game 7, third quarter, and the Celtics was trying to make a desperate comeback. The Boston fans were deafening, trying to urge their team to get back into a game that had tilted to the Sixers advantage by as much as 18 points. Coach Joe Mazulla had just implored a matchup zone, and the Sixers were having trouble figuring out how best to beat it.
The ball swung around the Sixers half court, with no real rhyme or reason, more so just to keep the ball moving with the hopes somebody would do something. When the ball got to 20-year-old rookie VJ Edgecombe he did what he was probably taught to do against a zone in high school just a couple years ago. Edgecombe faked a pass to his left, moving the Celtics defense in anticipation and freeing himself up. He calmly lined up and then drilled the three as if it was a practice session at Long Island Lutheran High School.
It has become his trademark, if you can have one of those when you haven't even completed your rookie season, to never get too caught up in the moment, to keep his energy and smarts where they are supposed to be so that he can perform the task of hitting pressure-packed jump shots in a playoff game.
Edgecombe did all that and so much more for the Sixers as they completed an improbable 4-3 series win against the heavily favored Celtics, advancing to a second round matchup with the New York Knicks that will begin Monday at 8 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. He finished the night with 23 points, six rebounds, four assists while shooting 8-for-17 from the floor.
"He was great," said coach Nick Nurse of Edgecombe, who logged 43 minutes in Game 7. "They did a lot of helping off of him so he was going to get some opportunities and to step in there and hit 5-of-11 (threes), that's amazing. But most importantly, he kind of came out at halftime and he said that he had White and that he was going to do better on him. Because White was cooking. I think White had two points in the third quarter and a lot of that was VJ. Those are the things that not everybody sees over the 23 points and the 5-for-11, but those are the things that make a huge difference in games like this."
Look at Edgecombe reposition to take away Brown’s right hand and then defend with his back… pic.twitter.com/KR537be9Eh
The athleticism is on display every night, whether it be hunting down a block from behind or driving through three defenders for a monster dunk, like he did earlier in the series. He uses it on both sides of the floor. And when an open shot is there to be had, moments are never too big and thoughts are never scrambled.
"I was open and I had to shoot the ball," Maxey said, during his normal post game meeting with the media which almost always includes a nervous giggle. "And the ball found me early. I was able to make a few shots early and that helped with my confidence and helped with the flow and how they had to guard me a little bit. We were just doing whatever we had to to win. And that took scoring from me, scoring from everybody else."
That he is somewhat a fourth-wheel to the Big Three of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey just may be the perfect fit for Edgecombe. He absorbs the lessons that Maxey and George are constantly giving him and even seeks out more. He has a knack for where the ball is going, and hunts down loose balls as well as anyone on the court. And nothing, nothing, ever gets to him.
"He got up 11 threes, so let's just start with that," said Maxey. "That's a guy that's shooting the ball with confidence. He didn't really shoot great this entire series. To come into Game 7 and shoot 11 threes, he shot the ball every time he was open. That's special. Because people get gun-shy and they stop shooting. He didn't stop shooting. He even shot some in the fourth quarter and I was like, 'Cool. Pull-up three.' That's who he is and his defense was amazing. You know what was funny, his demeanor and him being so calm in the moment. That was big time, too. I'm glad he's on our team."
VJ hit a 3 and winked at the camera 😂👏 https://t.co/HArblH8ywF pic.twitter.com/Mzr2lTNeo7
It's common to see George walking on the practice court in deep conversation with the rookie, or taking time after a shootaround to show him over and over again specific moves against how a team or certain player may defend him. And all the while, the eager student grasps everything that he can, knowing that all the mental and physical lessons being given him about the NBA will be beneficial. Like they were in Saturday's Game 7.
"I can't take no credit for none of that," said George. "He's special and he's been special and he's showed it since Day 1. ... I talked when we started this series about his start point and where he is now. He hit the ground running this year. It's a good thing when veteran guys expect so much out of the rookie. It just says a lot. Throughout the game, he's young. It's his first experience in the playoffs. I think the most important thing is he's young, he's going to make some mistakes. But he just comes back and he's ready and he just makes those adjustments and he picks up where he left off and when he does make a mistake he makes 10 plays that kind of counter the mistakes. He's very coachable. He's a student of the game and he's just learning and getting better."
Edgecombe doesn't even pretend to know the historical significance of the win over the Celtics, the biggest being it was the first time the Sixers have eliminated Boston from the playoffs since 1982.
"Obviously we're super happy," he said. "We're not going home and we were able to advance. We know the more important thing is, obviously, the championship and we're just taking steps in the right direction. It's great to go down in history, but the ultimate goal is people will remember a championship before they will remember a 3-1 comeback. Now we're focused on our next series."
Mature beyond his years.
"Sometimes," he said when asked if he ever thinks about how big the moment is. "I'm just happy to play basketball. To still be playing basketball in the playoffs, what is there not to be happy about? I try not to let whatever is going on not to overwhelm me or make me feel either too high or too low, so I just try to stay the same the whole time."
His coaches, teammates and fans will take that.
