Give Joel Embiid The Respect He Deserves, That Was A Legacy Game

Last night was a legacy-type game for Joel Embiid. 50 points, 13 of 19 from the field, 5 of 7 from 3. That is what he did on a bad knee while dealing with Bell's Palsy. All to help lift the Sixers to a 125-114 win. It was the type of game we were all waiting to see him have. Embiid had been great in games 1 and 2, but he took over game 3.

The Sixers needed a win. If they lost, they would be down 0-3 and would have had to do something no team in NBA history has ever done. Instead, it is 1-2, and the Sixers have a chance to tie it up on Sunday.

That is because of Joel Embiid. Not only because of him. Maxey had a really nice game despite being shadowed by OG for nearly the entire time. Other guys on the team like Cam Payne and kelly Oubre stepped up too.

But Embiid was the difference maker. 15 points in the final frame. 15 pts is what their 3rd leading scorer, Oubre, scored in the entire game. Everyone not named Embiid or Maxey combined scored 50 points. He imposed his will on the Knicks, and there was nothing they could do about it.

All of that, people will still disrespect him. They will complain about his body language. They will complain he falls down too much. They will call him soft. It is maddening.

Embiid might be a bit dramatic at times. That is who he is. But no player in Philly has battled through more than him. Yes, he is always injured. But he is also always battling through those injuries. He fractured his eye twice and played through it. His knee is clearly bothering him now, but he still scored 50. Now he is grappling with Bell's Palsy.

What more does he need to do for his effort to be appreciated? Embiid is many things, but soft is not one of them.

Has he at times come up small late in the playoffs? Yes. But even in those cases, he was still a net positive for the team. His offense in the Raptors series a few years back was not good enough. But they were the better team anytime he was on the floor because of his defense.

They might be losing this series, but that is not because of him. He is scoring 38 points, and racking up over 5 assists per game. On Thursday a few of the role players finally stepped up, and surprise, they actually won.

Joel Embiid is not perfect, but he gives this city everything he has. The dude is a Super Star and deserves way better treatment than he sometimes gets.

Appreciate greatness while we have it. Players like him don't grow on trees. Once he is gone, it might be another decade until we have someone anywhere close to as great as he is. Yet some fans in this city can't stop bashing him long enough to appreciate what we have in front of us.

Pro Basketball was dead in this city before he arrived. I am not talking about the process years. I am talking about the period between AI and the Process. Perpetual 8 seeds. Endless mediocrity. Never a real reason for hope. Embiid changed that. he put Sixers Basketball back on the map. As long as he is here, they will be competitive.

The lack of real playoff success so far may be frustrating. But it is far preferable to never having anything to root for in the 1st place.

Despite a tumultuous season, this Sixers team that Daryl Morey put together might be their best chance to win in a while. If they can get through he Play-In tournament, they have a chance to go deeper than they ever have, especially with a healthy Joel Embiid.

The man behind this roster, Daryl Morey, joined Mid-Days with bob Cooney earlier today.

Despite being the 7-seed, and having to tangle with the the play-in tournament, vibes around the team seem to be high. They enter the playoffs on an 8-game winning streak, thanks mostly to the return of Joel Embiid.

The reigning MVP was playing the best basketball of his career before injuring his meniscus in January. When he went out, the team fell apart. They went from comfortably in the 3-seed, to hanging for their lives. And there was concern Embiid would never return at all.

But with only a few weeks left, Embiid made his triumphant return. Suddenly we saw the team that had people so excited earlier in the season.

All of that said, the Play-In Tournament is tricky. You don't get a series against the Heat, you get 1 game. And Anything can happen in 1 game.

You get some wiggle room, in that if you lose you still get a chance at redemption vs whoever wins the 9-10 game. But even if you win that, it means you get the Celtics in the 1st round, instead of the Knicks. Not exactly ideal.

Morey likes his team's chances though. He joined Bob Cooney, and guest host Amy Fadool, on today's Mid-Day show. What did he say? Does he have any concerns? How far does he think his team can go?