Sixers Win, But Joel Embiid’s Play Leads To Even More Buts
No one finds fault in a win more than me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy wins, but I look at it as the never-ending pursuit of perfection. I know I’ll never find it. But I will keep looking because that is the aspect of sports that keeps me entertained.
So let me say, I find it terrific that the Sixers are up 3-0 against the Brooklyn Nets in this first-round series. I audibly laugh at the fact that if they win on Saturday, the Sixers will have at least a week off from playoff basketball to get ready for a round two series that will almost certainly be against the hated Boston Celtics. I am excited to see that Tyrese Maxey appears to be turning into a reliable star that will thrill fans for years to come here in Philadelphia. The different styles of defense that coach Doc Rivers is throwing against the Nets every night interests me to no end, as it is something that we hadn’t seen during the regular season.
And yet there is, should we call it concern? Frustration? Madness? I honestly am not sure how to approach this subject. Joel Embiid is the head of the aforementioned titles, as he was baited into tussles, nearly ejected in the first two minutes of the game, and laid on the floor too many times to count. He limped because of a knee problem. Held his back after getting shoved from behind a few times. Labored up and down the floor in slow-motion fashion. He allowed himself to be stopped by players 50, 60, 70 pounds lighter than him. Quite simply, he was not Joel Embiid.
And yet his team won, 102-97, to put them just one more victory away from advancing to the next round. That is, and always should be the ultimate goal. Whether Embiid scores 35 or the quiet 14 he collected on Thursday.
And here comes the but. The Sixers won, but Embiid was a shadow of the MVP player he’s been all season. He had a huge defensive play late in the game – a tremendous blocked shot on Spencer Dinwiddie late in the game with the Sixers clinging to a two-point lead, but it may have been the only big play that he made.
There is a lot of nit-picking we can do about Joel Embiid’s play and attitude in last night’s game. But, and this is the biggest one, but they won the game and in the end, that’s all that matters. At least, maybe like you, I’m trying to convince myself of that
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Round 1 Schedule
