The 76ers lost 115-117 to the Cavaliers on Friday in a nail-biting contest that went down to the wire. Nearly two days after the game, a video has gone viral on social media where Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe of the 76ers got into an intense argument on the sidelines that came as a shock to NBA fans.
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The incident occurred in the first quarter of the game after a defensive matchup confusion left Donovan Mitchell wide open for a three-point shot. The 76ers called a timeout, and Maxey proceeded to get into it with Edgecombe.
In the video, Maxey and Edgecombe were recorded shouting at each other on the sidelines, but it did not seem hostile in any way. The rookie Edgecombe seemed to be making a point repeatedly while also keeping a solid ear to what Maxey had to say.
Eventually, it looked like Edgecombe conceded to the team veteran Maxey by the end of the conversation as other senior players like Kyle Lowry and Andre Drummond looked on.
Fans saw this as a positive sign between two fired-up teammates who simply hate to lose. They took to social media and expressed their views on the duo.
“Anyone who thinks this is something serious has never played sports on any level. This is guys being competitive.”
“Loved it. Confrontations are necessary to be successful. The Sixers never won anything before because Embiid was passive-aggressive and Ben was nonchalant.”
“I don’t know who’s right or wrong here because I don’t know the context, but I’m fine seeing people having a passionate discussion on the sidelines. It doesn’t look toxic.”
“This tells me they are starting to feel like brothers.”
Some fans also believed that while one perspective is to see this as two players simply being competitive, another perspective is that this was misdirected anger from Maxey.
“That play was Maxey’s fault,” contended a fan on social media.
“This is unprofessional. Send Maxey to Toronto,” said another.
While several such reactions flooded the internet, the general perception was that this was not a hostile discussion but rather two teammates who simply wanted to win. People may contend that Maxey was wrong in this position, but as teammates, they were simply talking it out just like brothers would do.
Following the game, Maxey spoke about Edgecombe, and it seemed clear that there is no reason to worry for the 76ers fans. Maxey emphasized that, as a veteran on the team, he feels responsible and needs to do a better job of pushing Edgecombe to be more aggressive on the floor.
“No, it’s definitely a process, man. He’s played so many different roles for us this year. He’s had to score. He’s had the lead lineups. He’s had to guard the best player. He’s just growing every single day, and um, he’s doing a really good job of handling it all.”
“You know, most rookies come in, the top three picks, not on a playoff team or team that’s trying to win. So that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to win. And he’s just done a great job of playing different hats,” Maxey concluded during the press conference.
Maxey and Edgecombe are viewed as the potential franchise backcourt for the 76ers, and they see each other as brothers. Edgecombe has already crowned his duo with Maxey as the “greatest ever.” Therefore, it doesn’t seem like this incident was a culmination of any suppressed frustrations.
Tyrese Maxey struggled to find efficiency but stuffed the box score that night. He finished the game with 22 points, nine assists, five rebounds, five steals, and two blocks while shooting 9-23 from the field (39.1%) and 2-8 from the three-point line (25.0%).
Meanwhile, Edgecombe ended up with 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists while going 4-5 from the field (80.0%).
The 76ers will now move on to host the Pacers on Monday night and bounce back from this defeat to the Cavaliers, which pulled their record down to 22-18 for the season.
