Last night was a tough one. The Philadelphia 76ers dropped Game 3 on Joel Embiid’s MVP night 114-102 and have the Boston Celtics a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 tomorrow afternoon. 

The Celtics were able to seize control of the series thanks to 27 points from Jayson Tatum and 23 points from Jaylen Brown. 

As for the Sixers, Joel Embiid scored 30 points with 13 rebounds and four blocks in his second game back from a sprained right knee, after officially receiving his NBA MVP Trophy during the pregame ceremonies. 

WATCH: Joel Embiid presented with the NBA MVP Award during pregame ceremony >>

Last night was a shitty game for the Sixers.

I honestly debated even writing about it but the lack of effort defensively, the nonexistent offense, and the horrible officiating left Doc Rivers and company looking like this was a game in early December rather than Game 3 of the second round of the playoffs. 

Embiid and PJ Tucker were the only two Sixers players that actually came to play last night. I guess you can throw in De’Anthony Melton too, but even at times, the aggression on the defensive side of the court just wasn’t there. 

Embiid scored 30 points with 13 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Sixers. Tyrese Maxey added 13 points and six rebounds while PJ Tucker finally took some shots from beyond the arc, scoring nine points on the night. 

De’Anthony Melton scored 14 points with eight rebounds while Tobias Harris added seven points and four rebounds. 

James Harden had 16 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the floor with 11 assists and six rebounds. He also turned the ball over five times. 

In Game 3 of the NBA playoffs, no Sixers player outside of Joel Embiid scored more than 16 points. 

James Harden and Tyrese Maxey combined for a miserable 7-of-30 from the floor. 

• James Harden: 16 PTS, 3-14 FG, 2-7 3PT, 6 REB, 11 AST

• De’Anthony Melton: 14 PTS, 4-10 FG, 4-7 3PT, 4 STL

• Tyrese Maxey: 13 PTS, 4-16 FG, 3-9 3PT, 6 REB

• Tobias Harris: 7 PTS, 3-6 FG, 4 REB

• PJ Tucker: 9 PTS, 3-4 3PT

The Sixers managed to pull within five on a De’Anthony Melton 3-pointer but throughout the night, the Celtics had an answer. They countered with a Malcolm Brogdon three to extend the lead to 100-92 and then of all people Al Horford crushed the Sixers by burying another three-pointer to extend the lead to seven. 

The performances from everyone outside of Embiid last night were unacceptable. 

While Harden won the Sixers Game 1, he lost the Sixers Game 3. 

Originally tweeted by Mia Heat fans (@MiaHeatfans35) on May 6, 2023.

James Harden followed up his Game 1 performance by shooting 5-of-28 from the floor over the last two games. For Tobias Harris to only take six shots while the rest of his teammates were struggling is ridiculous. While it’s definitely not completely his fault thanks to Harden dribbling the ball around just to pass up easy layups at the basket, reminiscent of Ben Simmons agains the Atlanta Hawks, Doc Rivers and the coaching staff should have recognized that and tried literally anything else offensively to get the Sixers moving last night.

Originally tweeted by Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) on May 6, 2023.

The Sixers Are Not Dead Yet

While the majority of social media last night officially buried the Philadelphia 76ers playoff hopes, that seems like a dramatic reaction.

The Boston Celtics are a very good basketball team and honestly, they are better than the Philadelphia 76ers. I think that’s pretty clear, however that doesn’t mean the Sixers can’t comeback from a 2-1 series deficit and still advance. Last night was a MISERABLE performance from the Sixers and they still had a fighting chance to win the game in the last five minutes. 

Obviously, a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals is almost impossible if they have another game like last night, but hopefully it serves as a wake up call and the Sixers will tie the series up tomorrow afternoon in Game 4. 

I still have this going a full seven games. The Sixers win tomorrow, lose Game 5, win Game 6 and from there, we’ll be in Boston for Game 7 where who knows what will happen. 

For now, we’ll just take it one game at a time.