On Thursday, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat 109-105 to win their third straight game, cutting the gap with the sixth-placed Indiana Pacers to one game. 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey was the show’s star, as he recorded a near triple-double to guide his team to a critical win. He finished the game with 37 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, an impressive performance in his first outing after a two-game absence. Reigning MVP Joel Embiid also had another stellar outing, finishing the game with 29 points, three assists, and four rebounds in his second game back in the starting lineup. However, his post-game comments on this year’s MVP award are what really grabbed the attention of fans.
Advertisement
The 76ers superstar has led his team to two straight wins since his return from a 29-game absence due to a meniscus injury. Embiid was in MVP form on the court and in the post-game press conference as well. During a locker room interview, the 30-year-old revealed to reporters his thoughts on this season’s MVP race, as seen in this clip posted by a Sixers page,
“I’m happy I’m not in the [MVP] conversation. That conversation has been toxic for a long time, but, I’ll be honest, this year has been kind of boring. There’s not enough toxicity going around. It’s pretty fun and it’s also the same time, pretty bad, too. But I’m glad I’m nowhere near that.”
The tight MVP race between Embiid and Nikola Jokic last year caused a lot of tension among fans, analysts, and voters. Supporters of either player often resorted to insulting the other superstar to get their point across. Even accusations of ‘racism’ were brought up to discount the MVP voting procedure.
Embiid was also accused of stat-padding and criticized for missing the 76ers’ trip to Denver, with fans and analysts suggesting that he sat out while healthy to avoid hurting his MVP bid. The 76ers superstar won the MVP race, but Jokic had the last laugh as he led the Denver Nuggets to their maiden NBA title, winning the Finals MVP.
This year the race is a tight one as well, with Nikola Jokic looking likely to win eventually. However, Embiid seems to miss all the noise generated last year, especially since he’s nowhere in the mix.
Joel Embiid eyeing playoff success
Joel Embiid started the year in terrific form and immediately established himself as one of the frontrunners to win the MVP award for the second straight year. However, a little over a quarter of the way into the regular season schedule, Embiid’s injury issues forced him to miss several games.
By the end of January, he had missed 12 games, only six away from missing out on the NBA’s 65-game threshold to be eligible for individual accolades. A visibly unhealthy Embiid pushed himself to play against the Golden State Warriors and paid a heavy price. Late in the fourth quarter, he suffered a knee injury after a freak incident and was sidelined for 29 games.
With his prospects of winning individual awards pretty much over, Embiid can now focus on leading the 76ers deep into the playoffs. Philadelphia is eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, but their 77.8% winning rate with the reigning MVP is second only to the Boston Celtics’ 78.9%. The 76ers were the favorites to finish second in the East before Embiid was sidelined.
Philadelphia plays like contenders when their superstar center is on the court. If he remains healthy during the playoffs, the 76ers could embark on a magical run and Embiid can get rid of his playoff-choker reputation.
