Friday night was odd. It almost felt like the Boston Celtics were playing games with the Philadelphia 76ers. Getting in their heads. But the Sixers did the same in Boston.
When Philadelphia traveled to TD Garden, Jaylen Brown didn't play. And when the Celtics went down to Xfinity Mobile Arena, Jayson Tatum didn't play. The only star who played in both matchups was Tyrese Maxey.
The Sixers played Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in Boston. They squared up against the Celtics regulars, who were playing their first game together (since Boston sat most of its guys in Cleveland a few days prior).
On Friday night, Boston didn't even give the Sixers the courtesy of starting its benchwarmers. Instead, the Philadelphia crowd got a green starting lineup of Milos Uzan, Hayden Gray, Tucker DeVries, Gabe McGlothan, and Chris Cenac.
On paper, it was one of the most lopsided games in recent NBA memory. Yet the Celtics' guys hung in there. Why? Because the Sixers didn't care.
From the very start, it was clear the 76ers had no interest in playing basketball that night. James was lollygagging up and down the court. Embiid looked gassed. It was almost as if they felt too good to play against Boston's training-camp players.
Boston's guys played hard. They contested every offensive rebound. They played physical on every drive (to the point where Philadelphia's stars racked up trips to the free-throw line).
It was an impressive display of hustle from a group of guys that will almost certainly end up in the G League this season. And in the end, they closed it out with a win.
The game had some interesting flashes throughout. Boston's defense replicated its turnover-creating style from the previous two games without any of its stars available, proving the scheme can work regardless of who's on the floor.
McGlothan looked like a guy to watch in Maine. Cenac and Dillon Mitchell played well. Hugo Gonzalez was a monster, especially on offense.
Preseason is meant to be a jumping-off point. A chance for the team -- and the fanbase -- to get a read on their guys. But in reality, that's impossible.
Because some players just don't care. Until they were forced to try in the second and third quarters, James and Embiid looked like they would rather have been anywhere else.
James might as well have hopped on his helicopter at halftime to get a head start on his nightly travel. Unless he had an open lane for a highlight-reel play, James sat back and took the night off. Same with Embiid.
It was annoying to watch as a spectator, but at the same time, can you