April 26, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Cam Payne's scoring eruption in the second quarter of Game 3 helped save the Sixers' chances of advancing past the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Cam Payne had a feeling his number would be called in Thursday night's Game 3 of the first-round playoff series between the Sixers and New York Knicks.
Payne totaled 154 seconds of on-court action in Game 1 against the Knicks. His head coach publicly declared that he would "for sure" see extended run in Game 2 just hours before tip-off, only for him to remain on the bench for all 48 minutes. The Sixers also made guard De'Anthony Melton available to play in Game 3 after he was unavailable for the first two contests.
But those things did not matter, because Payne had a feeling.
"I kind of had a feeling I was going to play," Payne said after scoring 11 points, dishing out three assists and and blocking a pair of shots in 16 crucial minutes in the Sixers' Game 3 victory. "Sometimes you watch the game and can tell where you can help [the team]."
It was unclear what Melton's role would look like if he played. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse decided that not only was an appearance not in the cards for the 25-year-old guard who has battled his way into availability for the third time this season as he deals with a back injury that held him out for more than half of the regular season, but that a cameo was coming for Payne, who Nurse admitted before Game 2 was "pissed" about his lack of playing time.
"We were searching a little bit for some kind of spark off the bench and I certainly had that in my thoughts to maybe go with [Payne] first and then still have [Melton] in the back of our minds there too," Nurse said. "But Cam got going, so he kind of soaked up those minutes."
When you are not happy about playing time, there are many wrong ways to handle it and one right way to handle it. Consider Payne having accomplished the second.
"He was awesome," Nurse said. "He certainly did a good job."
If you have watched the Sixers since they acquired Payne, it is easy to tell why he has caught on so quickly among his teammates, coaches and fans alike. His energy is infectious, consistent and always positive, and it seems to rub off on every person he comes into contact with.
When Payne knocks down a big shot, he will make sure every person in the arena -- especially the five players on the court for the other team -- know about it. But when one of his teammates steps up while Payne is not in the game, you will often see him animated on the sidelines.
"Energy costs nothing," Payne said with a smile Thursday night. "We as humans, we feed off energy, we feed off confidence... sometimes for a lot of bench guys, that's our job: to keep giving guys confidence, keep showing love to the guys that are out there playing. Because you never know when you might be out there and want that energy back. It brings confidence to the team, it makes everybody pick it up... I like having fun. It's still a child's game."
"Once we get the crowd going," Payne said, "it's an even better team out there."
Payne may be right that an energized crowd makes the Sixers a better team. But so do the skills that he brings to the floor, even if one is to discard the constant enthusiasm that has quickly endeared him to so many.
On his first shot of the game, Payne knocked down a pull-up three-pointer. On the Sixers' very next possession, he beat the Knicks down the court after a made basket and freed himself up to knock down another triple. Payne went on to score again on a floater, dish out a pair of assists and even block a shot in a fantastic second quarter stretch that lasted about eight minutes. The Sixers made their game-winning pushes in the third and fourth quarters, but they would not have been in position to do so if Payne had not helped them stay afloat with his surge before Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey took over the game.
Cam Payne. back to back. 👌 pic.twitter.com/HzRuLiVIpD
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 26, 2024
Maxey, who struggled in the first half with a 2-7 shooting line before intermission but eventually got in a rhythm, lit up when he was asked about Payne's important Game 3 minutes.
"Big time," Maxey said. "To not play an entire game and however many days we were off and come right in and bang three threes, that's big time. That's all I can say."
"He's somebody who we've seen over the years, playing with Phoenix, he's made big shots and he's had big time games in the playoffs, so we appreciate it and we'll need some more of that."
Nobody, though, boasted a bigger smile and displayed more excitement after the Sixers' major victory than Payne -- of course.
"It's definitely hard," Payne said when asked about having to remain ready despite receiving inconsistent minutes. "I was ready to play... I was locked in."
A particularly cheesy grin emerged on Payne's face.
"And thank god, man, my shots fell today, so I get that opportunity again."
Personally, one of my favorite interactions I’ve had with a player… a talk with Sixers guard Cam Payne after his Game 3 heroics about the value of energy, which Payne excitedly says “costs nothing.” Tremendous perspective from Payne here, I thought: pic.twitter.com/rNRIEwg1pi
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) April 26, 2024
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
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