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The Audio Vault- Joel Embiid Wins MVP

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Author Andrew Salciunas and Dylan MacKinnon
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

See what Andrew Salciunas found in the Audio Vault today! Every day Andrew dives into the Vault to pull out Audio relevant to the day. Famous birthdays, things from this day in history, and more. And today’s Vault started with Joel Embiid winning MVPO, finally. But the Vault also contained some famous Birthdays and something to honor one of Andrew’s least favorite Phillies.

  • Joel Embiid Announced as MVP
  • What Embiid had to say to TNT Crew after being named MVP
  • The AI Stepover in honor of Tyron Lue’s Birthday
  • Ron Hextall Goalie Fight in honor of his birthday
  • Anniversary of David Bell’s Debut with the Phillies
    • Bell hitting a triple for a cycle
  • Adam Schefter on Jincade Show Talking about how Gannon’s Tampering Kept Vic Fangio from Being the Eagles DC

You can listen to the full Audio Vault below:

5 Numbers That Tell The Story of the Sixers Game 1 Win in Boston

Well, that was fun. Despite being heavy underdogs, the Joel Embiid-less Sixers beat the Celtics in Boston to take a 1-0 series lead. James Harden found a time machine, turning back the clock to bring back Houston Harden. 45 points by the 33-year-old PG. Including the game-winning 3pter with just 8.1 seconds left on the clock. It was a new playoff high for Harden. And it propelled the Sixers to a 119-115 win.

A result very few saw coming. Most of the national pundits, and even many local ones, didn’t see the Sixers being able to beat Boston without Joel Embiid. They sure made us look foolish. It wasn’t pretty and featured some awful defense at times. But the Sixers pulled it out. Meaning they get to go back into the TD Garden Wednesday night with a chance to go up 2-0. We don’t know yet if that game will feature Joel Embiid. But now we know it may not matter. And at worst, they are coming home with the series tied.

But before we can look ahead to Game 2, and the rest of the series, let’s first look back at Game 1. How did they pull it out? What changes did Doc Rivers make in the second half that stabilized the defense? Who stepped up in Embiid’s absence?

Here are 5 numbers that tell that story:

 

  • 26

    In the first half, the Sixers gave up 40 points in the paint. there was pretty much a revolving door for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. It is a big part of the reason they gave up 66 points in that half, and why the Celtics shot over 70% from the field. But then Doc Rivers went to the Matchup Zone, and it worked. In the second half, the Sixers allowed 26 points in the paint, and just 49 points total.

  • +8

    The biggest concern coming into the game was how Paul Reed would look as the starter. He looked mostly good in the Nets series. But the Celtics are a different animal. They have a handful of fast dynamic wings, more than capable of exploiting a team with poor interior defense. As we saw in the first half, it went exactly that way to start the game. But as he did in game 4 vs the Nets, Paul Reed bounced back in a big way in the 2nd half. He went on to finish the game with a plus/minus of +8. Compare that to Celtics Center Al Horford, who was a game low -17.

    Reed was not perfect. But he was active, grabbed 13 boards, scored when he got the ball near the basket and settled down on defense greatly as the game went on. More importantly, it was Reed who hit 4 straight clutch free throws in the waning moments of the game. The Sixers’ backup center deserves a ton of credit for the progress he has made.

  • 20

    James Harden came back into the game with about 10 minutes left to go. From that point on, Harden hit a trio of 3s, scored 15 points of his own, and assisted on a Maxey layup and a Tobias Harris 3. That’s 20 total points he accounted for in the stretch run that turned the game to the Sixers favor. He also got the steal that led to a take foul on Maxey, which got him an FT.

  • .625

    A lot was made about James Harden struggling from 2 in the Nets series. Taht was absolutely not the case last night. Harden 5 made layups, and 5 mid-range shots. In total, he went 10-16 from 2pt range. A shooting percentage of .625. That is good for a Center, someone who is getting easy dunks at the rim. Harden was that efficient driving through traffic and taking stepbacks from 15 ft from the rim.

  • .753

    NBA history heavily favors teams that win game 1 of a7 game series. In fact, those teams are 447-147 all-time in playoff series. However, that comes with a caveat. The road team who wins game 1 is closer to 50%. Road teams winning game 1 in the NBA Playoffs are 85-82 all-time in the series. So the Sixers still have a lot of work to do. Still, I don’t know if those numbers account for teams who are missing their MVP player in game 1 but win anyway. The Sixers are now in the driver’s seat.

    They don’t even need to win another road game. If they win all 3 of their home games, they win the series. And the good news is, they have lost just 5 games at home since the New Year.

Andrew Salciunas, “The Choonis,” has done it all at the station - screening calls, working events as a member of the street team, producing 7 days a week, doing updates, and now hosting his own show. Now with a wife and kid, his life experiences are far different than when he first started, but this “regular guy” knows how to relate to anyone. He writes about the Flyers, Phillies, Sixers, and Eagles.

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Author Andrew Salciunas and Dylan MacKinnon
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