The Philadelphia 76ers lost 109-105 in overtime last night. However, Joel Embiid turned in yet another MVP-caliber display despite the loss.
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Embiid has been on a tear over the past 3 seasons. This man went from perennial All-Star status to perennial MVP candidate status with the jump he made after Covid-19.
Embiid has truly unlocked himself as a scorer after being paired with a Hall of Fame point guard. James Harden makes life easy for everyone on the offensive end, and the Cameroonian has taken full advantage.
Where he’d earlier have to work for his buckets from crowded post-ups before, he now operates more in pick-and-rolls given the shooting ability of Harden and Maxey.
Joel is on course to win his second straight scoring title, leading the charts at 33.5 points per game. His excellent play has earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for two straight weeks.
Joel Embiid becomes the second center since Shaquille O’Neal to score 30+ in 10 straight games
Joel Embiid had already created history in his previous outing against the Pacers. His streak of 9 straight games with 30+ points put him in a tie for the franchise lead with Wilt and AI.
He extended that streak to 10 games with his display last night. Although Embiid cooled off – like the rest of the Sixers offense – in the closing stages – he still added 37 points.
Shaquille O’Neal was the last center to do so, achieving this feat in the 2000-01 season. His streak was 11 games long, coming off his MVP season the previous year.
How good are the Sixers this year?
ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight publication recently moved the Sixers to 1st position in their Finals rankings. Their algorithm gives them the highest chance of winning this year’s Finals at 28%.
The team has been in impeccable form over the past 4 months. They have a 36-11 record over the past 15 weeks – the best in the NBA in that interval. Harden has also seemingly played himself into form after an injury-riddled 2022 calendar year.
They seem to have all the ingredients necessary to win – star power, depth, talent, scoring, playmaking and defense. It remains to be seen whether they can overcome their rivals Boston and Milwaukee in the postseason.
