Joel Embiid mimics both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul in a single game, accepts it was his wish to once make that “Lob City” dunk.
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Joel Embiid’s basketball skills are second to none. The Sixers big man never stops, amazing people on the court with moves that are too good to be coming from a man of his size. But still, there are always some moves that Embiid wishes he could do.
Well, that’s what makes him one of the best players in the league as of now. The front-runner for the 2022 MVP award had a game to remember against the 3rd placed Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
Not only did the 5-time All-Star make the Cavaliers’ chances of winning this game thin by putting up a humongous 40-point triple-double, but he also had some highlights from the Lob City Clippers on display.
“I’m at a loss for words right now. Some of the things he does when he takes the rebound and dribbles up the court, like a little CP3 fake pass that I witnessed today, it’s just incredible to behold.” Tyrese Maxey said of their leader.
But it wasn’t just the Point God who Embiid mimicked in the game, he also did a Blake Griffin dunk on the mighty Jarrett Allen.
Joel Embiid used to fantasize about Blake Griffin’s dunk
Just around the end of the second quarter, when it was a 3-point game, Allen fouled Joel pretty hard and got a foul call. Embiid made the first free throw, he missed the second one.
After the miss, a tough fought play by Georges Niang found Embiid running down towards the basket and handed over the ball to him. The 6’10, 243-pound Allen was the only thing standing in his way. But it mattered least to the 7-footer, who thumped it down the rim from a significant distance.
“It’s up there,” Embiid remarked. “Back in the day, the ‘Lob City,’ I used to fantasize of seeing Blake throw the ball in the basket without even touching the rim. I’ve always thought it was thrilling. And I’ve always wanted I could do it, but they clearly leap far higher than I can.”
This dunk gave Philly the momentum they needed to close the distance between them and the Cavs on the Eastern Conference table, they did it by winning the game 103-93 and making their record 34-22.
They now sit at 5th and with a half-game differential with both the Cavaliers (3rd) and Bucks (4th) and just 2.5 games differential with the leaders Miami Heat.
With James Harden about to make his debut anytime soon, the Sixers will also be a contender to finish at the top of the table and win it all.
