The Philadelphia 76ers have done it again. For the third consecutive time and the fifth time in six years, Joel Embiid and co. were eliminated in the 2nd round. Today it was Jayson Tatum who made sure the 76ers go back home with a loss. With the Celtics registering a massive Game 7 win to advance, Embiid’s comments from 2018 about the Sixers-Celtics rivalry resurfaced.
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The 76ers and the Celtics are two of the oldest franchises in the NBA. They were both founded in 1946, and they’ve had some enthralling battles during their time of existence. However, ever since Joel Embiid was drafted in 2014, it has been a lopsided rivalry. The Celtics have been dominant, and the 2023 MVP acknowledged the same way back in 2018.
“This is not a rivalry!”: Joel Embiid about Celtics
One of the biggest obstacles for the Philadelphia 76ers has been the 2nd round of the playoffs. It’s been 22 years since they made it to the Conference Finals. During that time, they’ve made it to the Conference Semi-Finals seven times, getting eliminated every single time. Tonight it was Jayson Tatum who landed the blow with his 51-point performance.
As the Sixers were eliminated from the Semi-Finals for the third straight time, with Boston doing the honors this time, Joel Embiid’s comments came to light after the 2018-19 season opener. Back then, the Celtics had eliminated them from the Semi-Finals in five games in 2018, and then beat them in the season opener as well. Embiid said(via NBC Sports),
“JJ (Redick) mentioned it earlier, this is not a rivalry. I don’t know our record against them but it’s pretty bad. They always kick our ass.”
At that point, the Sixers were 3-19(including Playoffs) against the Celtics since drafting Embiid. Since then, the Sixers have had a better regular season record, holding a 10-9 edge. However, when it comes to the Playoffs, the Celtics are up 8-3.
Back then, what Embiid mentioned about it not being a rivalry was true, and after this playoff loss, maybe it still holds. During the 2022-23 season, the Cs beat the 76ers 3-1 in the regular season, and now 4-3 in the postseason.
Where did Embiid and co. go wrong against Jayson Tatum and Celtics?
The biggest mistake the Sixers made was allowing a Game 7 back at TD Garden. Even though the Garden has been brutal to the Celtics this year, it rallies for big games, getting the players in the groove.
The Sixers failed to nail a Game 6 where Jayson Tatum couldn’t seem to land a shot till the last 5 minutes of the game. He soared today, scoring 51 points and giving us a playoff performance to remember. He became the 2nd ever person to score 50 in a Game 7(the first was Stephen Curry against the Kings in the 1st round).
Not finishing the series at home and allowing the Cs the momentum heading back to Boston was where Joel Embiid and co. basically gift-wrapped their season. Maybe they learn from their mistakes. Maybe the front office finally decided they’ve had enough and make some changes this offseason. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
