Head coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics credited Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid for flipping the series around for his team.
The Celtics had a 3-1 series lead against the 76ers, and they looked well on their way to beating their Atlantic Division rivals and moving on to the next round of the playoffs. But the Sixers had other plans.
The Nick Nurse-led squad was able to bounce back from being 3-1 down in the series to win Games 5, 6, and 7, including two road wins, to knock the Celtics out of the playoffs for good. It was a shocking finish to the series, one that the Celtics entered as -900 favorites to win. But the Sixers outplayed them down the stretch and deserved to win.
Joe Mazzulla Credits Joel Embiid for Series Turnaround
When asked by the media following the Celtics’ loss in Game 7 why his team lost the series despite being the far superior team during the regular season, Mazzulla was blunt in his assessment. According to the Celtics’ coach, it simply came to the Sixers’ superstar Embiid playing well and ultimately being the difference.
“What changed in the series was Joel Embiid came back, and they’re a completely different team,” Mazzulla said. “As far as the regular season and the playoffs, nothing changed.”
Embiid missed the first three games of the series due to having an emergency appendectomy at the end of the season. But he returned and played the final four games of the series, where the Sixers went 3-1 to complete the comeback and win the series 4-3. In the final four games, Embiid scored 34, 19, 33, and 26 points, while adding double digits in rebounds in three of the games, and finishing with high assist totals. Combine that with the Celtics missing superstar Jayson Tatum in Game 7 with his own injuries, and it was a recipe for disaster. While the Sixers move on to the next round, the Celtics are now out of the playoffs and searching for answers.
Embiid and the Sixers Take on the Knicks
In the next round, Embiid and the Sixers will take on the New York Knicks, who just beat the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 to advance to the second round. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Sixers are +215 underdogs to win the series. Once again, the sportsbooks and the bettors are counting this Sixers team out of winning, but as they proved against the Celtics, you can’t count them out, especially if Embiid is healthy and playing like his former MVP self.
As for the Celtics, they will head into the offseason with more questions than answers. The team clearly still has a ton of talent, but they may be forced to consider making some big moves as they look to bounce back next year. There will be rumors linking star Jaylen Brown to a trade, and Derrick White could also be put on the trade block, as the team needs to rethink what it wants to look like next year. With a healthy Tatum, the Celtics should once again be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. But they will need to make serious changes if another NBA Championship is coming to Boston anytime soon.
Joe Mazzulla Credits Joel Embiid for Flipping Series Around