Battling injuries and an emergency surgery, the Philadelphia 76ers' cornerstone endured a grueling postseason run to prove that his grit remains the driving force behind the 76ers’ championship hopes.
"I know we lost. …But for me, this was a success," Joel Embiid said after the Philadelphia 76ers' Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks.
This postgame remark may sound odd on the surface, but it makes more sense when placed next to everything he fought through this season.
Embiid’s year was defined by pain, recovery, and constant uncertainty. He played only 38 regular-season games because of various injuries, then underwent an emergency appendectomy before returning in the playoffs. By the time the Knicks series arrived, he was also dealing with a right ankle sprain and right hip soreness, which forced him to miss Game 2.
Embiid did not look like himself against New York. The Knicks repeatedly dragged him into pick-and-roll actions, forcing him to defend in space and test his mobility. That was especially damaging because New York had enough shooting and playmaking to punish every slow rotation. In Game 1, Embiid finished with just 14 points on 3-for-11 shooting in a 137-98 loss, and the Knicks’ pace, spacing, and ball movement made Philadelphia’s defense look a step behind all night.
Still, the series should not be remembered as Embiid simply falling apart. Even while limited, he remained one of Philadelphia’s few reliable scoring options. In Game 4, he gave the Sixers an efficient final effort, scoring 24 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the field while adding five rebounds and four assists. The problem was that New York overwhelmed Philadelphia from beyond the arc, tying the NBA playoff record with 25 made threes in a 144-114 closeout win.
Embiid had already shown his toughness one round earlier. Against Boston, he helped lead Philadelphia back from a 3-1 deficit, capped by a 109-100 Game 7 win in which he posted 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Maxey added 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, while VJ Edgecombe scored 23, giving the Sixers one of their most meaningful playoff wins in years, as Embiid had been tormented by the Celtics in the playoffs many times in the past.
Overall, Embiid was hurt, targeted, and clearly below full strength, but he was still productive enough to keep Philadelphia alive longer than it probably should have been. The sweep was ugly, but Embiid’s postseason was not pointless. It was a reminder that the Sixers’ ceiling still depends on his health and that even a compromised Embiid remains central to the team.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.