Not Dead Yet: Joel Embiid carries the Sixers to a Game 5 win in Boston
The Sixers’ season is not dead yet and the reason is Joel Embiid.
Yup. The same Joel Embiid that half the media and every idiot on sports talk radio has been ready to throw in the trash for years. The same Joel Embiid who had surgery three weeks ago.
The same Joel Embiid who came back in Game 4 and put up 26 and 10 while his teammates sleepwalked through the first half. That Joel Embiid just went into TD Garden and delivered one of the best playoff performances of his career to keep the Sixers alive.
33 points and 8 assists on the night. Embiid played through an apparent injury in the third quarter that sent him limping to the locker room and came back out because that’s what Joel Embiid does.
He dominated Nikola Vucevic in the post all night. He scored 13 in the second quarter to keep the Sixers within striking distance. He sank a beautiful fadeaway over Queta in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to eight.
Joel Embiid was DOMINANT down low in Boston
When the Celtics doubled him down low, he kicked it to Grimes for a corner three because he’s not just a scorer, he’s a basketball player who makes everyone around him better when he’s locked in.
Embiid forced this series back to Philadelphia by himself. Anyone who has ever doubted this man’s heart needs to sit down and never speak about basketball again.
Maxey and Edgecombe Showed Up This Time
After the disaster of Game 4 where Maxey took three shots in the first half and Edgecombe scored two points before halftime, both guards came ready to compete on Tuesday. Maxey finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Not his most efficient night but the aggression was there from the start, which is all anyone asked for after the passive performance in Game 4. The Maxey-Embiid pick-and-pop created the Sixers’ first basket of the game and set the tone for a much more structured offensive approach.
Edgecombe was better too. After going 0-for-11 from three over the previous two games, he nailed a corner three on his first attempt. He hit another in the third quarter to pull the Sixers within one.
He’s still figuring out how to be consistent at this level against a defense as good as Boston’s, but Tuesday was a massive step in the right direction after two rough games.
Paul George was steady with 16 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Exactly the kind of all-around game the Sixers need from him in this series. Not flashy, not forcing, just making the right plays and letting Embiid carry the scoring load.
Grimes Had a Huge Second Half
You will never make me like you, Quentin Grimes.
Grime Time was rough early. A turnover that led to a Tatum fast-break layup, Derrick White blowing past him for an easy bucket, the usual inconsistency that has plagued his season.
To his credit, Grimes responded with an outstanding second half and finished with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting. His four-point play in the second quarter was a momentum swing and his corner three off an Embiid double-team assist in the fourth was one of the biggest shots of the night.
This is who Grimes is. He can disappear for stretches and then light it up when the Sixers need a spark. The problem is you never know which version is showing up. Tuesday was the good version and the Sixers need that exact Grimes again on Thursday.
The Third Quarter Could Have Ended the Season
The Sixers trailed by double digits early in the third and Embiid left the game limping. That was the moment where this series, this season, everything could have fallen apart. Instead the Sixers held it together.
They showed poise when the game was teetering on the edge of becoming another blowout. They closed the third quarter with composure and then surged ahead in the fourth with threes from Maxey and George before Embiid took over down the stretch.
That third quarter response is worth more than any stat line from Tuesday night. They’ve folded before in this exact situation. Didn’t happen. Instead, they fought through it with Embiid limping around the court and came out of the third quarter with a chance to win.
Game 6 Thursday Night in Philly
I’ll be there. We ain’t losing.
The series comes home tied 3-2 Celtics. One more loss and the Sixers’ season is over. But for the first time since Game 2, there’s a real reason to believe this team can extend this thing.
Joel Embiid is playing through whatever is wrong with his body because he refuses to let this season end quietly. Maxey was aggressive. Edgecombe hit threes again. George was dependable. Grimes gave them a scoring burst off the bench.
The Sixers have proven three times in this series that they can beat the Celtics when everyone shows up. The challenge is doing it twice more in a row.
Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Embiid on the floor. A building that is going to be absolutely electric. If this is the last home game of the season, make it count. If it’s not, make Boston sweat heading into a Game 7 they didn’t think they’d have to play.
Joel Embiid gave this team life on Tuesday. Now it’s on everyone else to make sure it wasn’t for nothing.
Join The Chase
Read More
WATCH: Quentin Grimes put arm-bar merchant Jaylen Brown in a blender during Game 5
I don’t like Quentin Grimes. I’ve never liked Quentin Grimes…
I left Sixers Game 4 desperately pointing at Lincoln Financial Field after a night full of embarrassments
I need to tell you all about the worst and…
Even with Embiid, the Sixers are down 3-1 and staring at yet another disappointing end
Joel Embiid returned from his appendectomy, played 34 minutes, put…
Comments (0)