Joel Embiid's 'Story is the Craziest NBA S--t Ever,' Says NBA Exec After 76ers' Win vs. Celtics
One official from an NBA playoff team was left stunned by the performance of Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid in the first round.
"The Embiid story is the craziest NBA s--t ever," they told The Athletic's Joe Vardon. "This guy has been off the grid for months — how do you all of a sudden turn into Olajuwon after being out most of the season? The Sixers are insane … you gotta love it."
Embiid averaged 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in four games against the Boston Celtics. During Saturday's 109-100 closeout win in Game 7, he had a double-double (34 points, 12 rebounds).
Reflecting on his team's collapse after jumping out to a 3-1 series lead, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said that "nothing really" changed about his squad.
"What changed in the series was Joel Embiid came back," he told reporters.
Embiid didn't miss a beat despite the fact he played in five of Philly's final 23 games in the regular season and was sidelined to open the postseason.
The praise toward the seven-time All-Star is justified, and the Sixers unquestionably pose a different challenge when their franchise cornerstone is healthy. The comeback didn't reveal many new truths, though.
Embiid's health and availability has often been the single biggest determinant for how deep the team can go. He's battling something pretty much every postseason.
Sixers fans are still riding a high ahead of Game 1 against the New York Knicks on Monday night. In the back of their minds, they might be wondering if Embiid will once again be snakebitten as Philly falls short of making the NBA Finals.
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