Joel Embiid on Game 1 Loss vs Celtics: 'I Was S--tty. I Thought We Were All Bad'

The Boston Celtics poured in 117 points in their convincing 16-point victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Monday at TD Garden, and big man Joel Embiid pointed the blame at his team's defense.

As Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated shared (NSFW language), Embiid said, "It starts on defense. I thought I was s--tty. I thought we were all bad tonight. That's not who we are, definitely. When everybody is on, we're the best defensive team in the game."

Philadelphia's defense had issues on the perimeter in particular, as the Celtics drained 17 of 35 (48.6 percent) three-point attempts to help break the contest open in front of the home fans. Boston also limited its turnovers to just 10, and the usually stout Embiid didn't have a single block in the loss.

Terry Rozier hit seven of those triples on his way to 29 points.

Embiid was impressive on the other end, though, tallying 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting to go with his 13 rebounds. He, JJ Redick (20 points) and Ben Simmons (18 points) were the only 76ers to score more than 12, but Simmons had seven of the team's 12 turnovers and struggled to find a rhythm as a facilitator and creator.

That Embiid called the 76ers the best defensive team in the league when everyone is playing up to their capabilities is notable in this series between defensive heavyweights.

According to NBA.com, the Celtics were tops in the league in defensive rating during the regular season, while the Sixers were third. Each team's ability to swarm outside shooters and protect the rim serves as a major reason they advanced to the playoffs and into the second round, but Boston was the better side on Monday.

Fortunately for Embiid and Philadelphia, the 76ers will have the opportunity to play better during Thursday's Game 2 as they attempt to salvage a split in the first two contests in Boston.