With the 2023-24 regular season past its halfway mark, a few teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack as legitimate title contenders. On the latest episode of the Ticket and the Truth podcast, Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce discussed which teams in the East have emerged as the frontrunners to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.
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Pierce claimed his and Garnett’s former team, the Boston Celtics, are the clear favourites to win the East.
“Boston is Tier 1 and I think they’re alone [in that tier] right now. Tier 2, is Milwaukee.”
Before Pierce could finish his sentence and name the Philadelphia 76ers as the second team in Tier 2, Garnett cut him short and said,
“You can’t say that, P. Are you watching Philly? The boy (Joel Embiid) playing like Wilt [Chamberlain]. The man playing like Wilt and they taking on his personality. They playing [defense]… If Celtics are 1A, I got Philly 1AB.”
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Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid is undoubtedly having an incredible season averaging 36 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. With Embiid on the court, the 76ers are 26-7 and are 12-2 in the last 14 games that he has played.
In the six-game stretch between the last two games that he missed, Embiid averaged 42 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Those numbers are akin to Wilt Chamberlain‘s in his heyday. Embiid might miss out on the MVP award due to the NBA’s 65-game cutoff for players to be considered for individual accolades. However, if he can carry this form into the playoffs and remain healthy, the 76ers will be a force to be reckoned with.
Kevin Garnett is a big Joel Embiid fan
Kevin Garnett continued to heap praise on Joel Embiid. The Hall of Famer gave the 76ers superstar an incredible compliment, saying,
“What Joel Embiid is doing is just pure dominance... Watching him, this is what Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) would have looked like with a jump shot.”
O’Neal is widely considered the most dominant player in NBA history. The three-time Finals MVP used his significant size advantage and nimble footwork to obliterate opponents. Garnett claims Embiid is at par with O’Neal in terms of difficulty in guarding.
“Joel Embiid to me is the most dominant player in the game of basketball. That’s with Joker (Nikola Jokic), that’s with Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander], that’s with Luka [Doncic]… Lord, how do you stop him?”
Embiid has played 33 games this season and has failed to score at least 30 only five times. He hasn’t had one game with fewer than 20 points this season, and only two where he finished with less than 26. He has scored over 40 points eight times this season, tied with Luka Doncic for most in the league.
Embiid is operating at a different level compared to his peers. Whether that translates into success in the playoffs remains to be seen.
