JOel Embiid feared the Miami Heat would lead the series 3-0 against him Philadelphia 76ers, that’s why I decided to play. Despite the facial injury, The Process decided to play until wear a protective mask and the difference is too big to ignore.
James Harden’s star status failed to lead his teammates to victory over Miami in the first two games, which says a lot about his character. But Embiid continues to prove that he is the true star of this franchise and one of the best basketball players on the planet. His mere presence on the court was more than enough for his teammates to remember what brought them to where they are today: the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Both Danny Green and Tyrese Maxey contributed with 21 points each. Tonight Harden lost 17 points and Joal Embiid scored 18 points. But the most impressive aspect of their performance was the defense. Despite failing to stop Jimmy Butler’s 33 points, the rest of the Heat’s roster was tamed by the Sixers’ defense, led by Embiid.
Tobias Harris had a great 10 rebounds and Embiid also dominated with 11 of them. Playing in Philadelphia also helped a bit, as fans have been pushing through all four quarters, they want to at least reach the Eastern Conference Finals. The Heat were unable to respond to this defensive performance by the Sixers.
The show just got a lot more interesting.
Despite the fact that Joel Embiid clearly played with pain, there is no doubt that he will not miss the next game on Sunday. All of Philadelphia will be watching as the 66ers try to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami needs a different strategy when they face the big man Embiid, he is almost impossible to defend despite wearing this mask.
Tyler Herro also needs to step up his game for the next match, his 14 points didn’t help much today as his team finished 20 points behind by the final whistle. After avoiding that 3-0 series, anything could happen for Philadelphia and Miami.