Tyrese Maxey gets his national respect, but one shot in the first quarter simply cannot happen again

NBA 2K just dropped their playoff ratings update and Tyrese Maxey climbed all the way to a 94 overall. Let that sink in for a second. A 94. The national recognition that Philadelphia fans have been screaming about for three years is finally arriving in real time, video game ratings, All-NBA conversations, the whole thing.

Now I need him to actually play like it tomorrow night.

Because Game 1 against the Knicks was not a 94 overall performance. Not even close. And if this Sixers team is going to win Game 2 at Madison Square Garden and make this a real series, Tyrese Maxey has to come out of the tunnel with a completely different mentality than the one he walked in with on Monday.

Tyrese Maxey receives rating boost in NBA2K

Playoff Ratings update is here! 💯

Who do you think has made the biggest leap? 📈 pic.twitter.com/p3udu23TG8

— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) May 5, 2026

Maxey started this season at one point averaging 33.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game — all career highs, putting the Sixers on his back with Embiid and Paul George both missing extended time. He carried this franchise through one of the hardest stretches in recent memory and did it without complaining, without demanding anything, without making it about himself. He just played.

The national media is finally catching up to what we already knew. Tyrese Maxey is an elite player. A legitimate superstar. The kind of guy you build a franchise around. The 94 overall is not a gift, it is a reflection of everything he has done this season and everything he showed us in the Celtics series when he went out and willed this team to three straight wins after being down 3-1.

That guy needs to show up in Game 2, because I don’t know where he was in Game 1.

For the record: I was not shocked the Sixers lost Game 1

I said before the game that the short turnaround, only 48 hours after an emotionally draining Game 7 against Boston was going to be a massive factor. Dead legs. Tired minds. I understood all of that going in.

Read More: Nick Nurse attends brother’s funeral following Game 1 of Sixers vs. Knicks >>

What I did not expect was Tyrese Maxey finishing the first quarter with one field goal attempt. One. In a playoff game. At Madison Square Garden.

Here is the good news. Maxey has already shown us he knows how to make this adjustment mid-series. He did it against the Celtics. He has done it throughout his entire career. The man is not someone who repeats the same mistake twice when the stakes are this high.

He averaged a career-high 28.3 points per game this regular season on 46.2 percent shooting. He has been here before at Madison Square Garden and thrived. Nick Nurse will have a few days to watch film and figure out how to get him better looks earlier in games. And most importantly, I trust Tyrese to adjust just like he did last series.

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