76ers' Joel Embiid on Celtics Nearing NBA Title: 'I Can't Stand Them. I Hate Boston'

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid says he is not enjoying watching the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.

"I can't stand them, I hate Boston," Embiid said Friday on ESPN's NBA Countdown (h/t Awful Announcing.)

He added, "Great city, great fans. They've got some great players."

Embiid and the 76ers were eliminated from the first round in six games in May by the New York Knicks.

The Celtics have the chance to clinch the title Friday night as they head into Game 4 with a 3-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks.

"Hopefully, this offseason, we find a way to get better and add some pieces," Embiid said, with a look at Los Angeles Clippers guard Paul George.

The 76ers star went on to say that he was unsurprised about the Celtics' level of dominance this offseason.

"They got everything. That's a superteam right there," he said. "They got everything. They got the wings, they got the big, they got the playmaking, they got the defense."

A win Friday night would make the Celtics the most successful postseason competitor in NBA history by beating out the Los Angeles Lakers for a league-high total of 18 titles.

The Celtics are hoping to add several more to that list, given that Boston stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are signed on for at least the next two seasons.

But Embiid stopped short of saying that the current Celtics roster led by Tatum and Brown constituted the beginning of a legacy.

"I don't think so, not with the new CBA," Embiid said. "And then, you've also got to understand, the whole East was kind of hurt this year, myself included."

Given how much Embiid has embraced this East Coast rivalry, the first matchup between the Celtics and 76ers will be one to watch when the 2024-25 season tips off this October.