Embiid Needs To Write A New “Elimination Game” Story…And He Will

The 76ers have a talking point that they are desperately trying to put behind them. They haven’t advanced past the the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals since 2001. It’s a horrid number and one I’d love to see them erase from the sports talk radio playbook. Unfortunately, Joel Embiid has the same albatross hounding him.

His performance in elimination games of the playoffs has been far below normal expectations. If you don’t remember exactly how bad it has been, here are the numbers.

vs New York

Game 5 - 19pts / 9 TOs / 6 free throw attempts / 16 rebounds

vs Boston

Game 6 - 26pts / 4 TOs / 8 free throw attempts / 10 rebounds

Game 7 -  15pts / 4 TOs / 6 free throw attempts / 8 rebounds

vs Miami

Game 6 -  20pts / 2 TOs / 4 free throw attempts / 12 rebounds

vs Atlanta

Game 6 - 22pts / 8 TOs / 4 free throw attempts / 13 rebounds

Game 7 - 31pts / 8 TOs / 10 free throw attempts / 11 rebounds

vs Boston

Game 4 - 30pts / 4 TOs / 18 free throw attempts / 10 rebounds

vs Toronto

Game 6 - 17pts / 5 TOs / 7 free throw attempts / 12 rebounds

Game 7 - 21pts / 4 TOs / 9 free throw attempts / 11 rebounds

vs Boston

Game 4 - 15pts / 2 TOs / 2 free throw attempts / 12 rebounds

Game 5 - 27pts / 4 TOs / 11 free throw attempts / 12 rebounds

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This is how it all averages out.
22 pts / 5 TO’s / 7.5 free throw attempts / 11 rebounds

For his career, that shows that the biggest games don’t bring out the biggest performances from Joel. He averages six points a game less, turns over the ball more, attempts fewer free throws than average and only his rebounds match his career average.

Whether it’s the pressure or a variety of crazy injuries that are offered as reasons, Embiid has not been able to step up when needed the most.

Yes, it sounds bleak. I’m here to tell you that it will all change in Game Six vs the Knicks. This will be the game that begins to redefine his elimination game reputation.

I’ve seen too many glimpses over the past two seasons of an MVP Level Embiid to expect that we get a repeat of his Game 5 struggles. Game 6 will be his coming out party.

I suggested this morning that I’m going to be drawn to bet all of the Embiid individual performance totals on my BetParx App. Here is my guess at his Game 6 performance;

I’m going to not be a coward (Salciunas bullied me into it) and parlay the OVER on points, rebounds, and assists. Enjoy Game 6! You will remember it as the night Embiid finally led his team to victory in an elimination game.

Tyrese Maxey had a game for the ages Tuesday night. With the Sixers on the brink of elimination, he stepped up to force a game 6. Not only did he score 46 points, and play nearly the entire game, plus OT, but he hit this shot from WAY beyond the arc to force overtime.

They were down 6 points with under 30 seconds to go. Many Sixers fans were already writing their angry Tweets about how the season ended. Little did they know Tyrese was not about to go down without a fight.

First, he hit a 3, despite being fouled by Mitchell Robinson. He went on to convert the 4-point play, making it a 2-point game. They fouled Josh Hart, sending him to the line, where he went 1 for 2, to make it a 3-point game. Then, from what at the time I thought was way too deep and way too early in the shot clock, he unleashed a 3 for 34 feet and nailed it.

I was floored. I was one of those people who thought the game was over. No team ever comes back from a deficit like that. But maybe that was because no other team has ever had Tyrese Maxey.

That was one of the best games we have ever witnessed. Not just for the overall stat line, but for the impact, and the moment it came in. The Sixers were dead in the water, and he brought them back to life. We saw him go from star to Superstar, in real time.

And his performance did not go unnoticed. Between NBA players other Philly athletes, media personalities, and NY Celebs, there were some great reactions to what Tyrese Maxey did.

LeBron James for one was a fan of Maxey's big night. Which is certainly interesting, given the rumors surrounding LeBron. There is a chance Lebron is not in a Lakers jersey next year. Now that we know how big of a fan LeBron is of Maxey, is this a hint?

I am a big fan of Jon Stewart. but seeing him slackjawed and flabbergasted after what Maxey did, makes that moment so much iconic. That is a man who has seen some things working for the Daily Show. But in all my years watching his show, I never saw him look that stunned. The NYC celebrity contingent has been exceptionally annoying this whole series, so it was nice to see them suffer for a bit.

I can handle the likes of Ben Stiller, Jon Stewart, and Spike Lee talking trash. They are super accomplished. But Turtle? The dude is the worst character in his own show, and that is all anyone knows him for. And yet every came I have Jerry Ferrara's opinions shoved in my face as he runs his mouth on Twitter. I haven't even thought of him since Entourage ended, and hopefully I will never hear from him again once this series ends. I could handle Johnny Drama, Ari Gold, or Vincent Chase talking trash. but not Turtle.

So seeing him devastated like this, felt pretty good.

Speaking of Ben Stiller, I dont think I have ever seen someone as angry at a basketball game as he is here. It looks like he is hissing at Maxey. He hasn't been this angry since the reviews and box office numbers for Zoolander 2 came out. Also of note, Tracy Morgan giving Maxey a not-so-kind gesture. Great stuff.

One NYer was taking it a bit better, at least the next day. MSG is a special place. But Knicks fan Greeny was willing to put Maxey's performance up there amongst the best performances in MSG history. He was probably still hurting from seeing his Knicks get beat, but credit to him for giving Maxey his proper props.

Some other Philly athletes weighed in as well. Slay took to Twitter to praise his fellow Philly star. He also made sure to mention that the man needs to be paid. I would not worry about that part Slay. Maxey is going to be paid what he is worth.

Ramona asks a good question here. has anyone else ever done this? Lifted Embiid up while he struggled? In past playoff runs the Sixers needed Embiid to be great, or they lost. Embiid did great things on defense last night, but his offense was severely wanting. But Maxey had his teammate's back, and went off to make up for it.

We never saw Ben Simmons or James Harden do that.

I am not a Mad Dog fan. But I did get a lot of enjoyment from him trolling Stephen A Smith this morning. Smith has been obnoxious with his Knicks love. The fact he was on the ESPN pre-game shows for the games, made it even worse. So seeing him get back what he was giving, was nice to see.