The Boston Celtics looked like they were on the road to eliminating the Philadelphia 76ers in five games. Even the Celtics legend Paul Pierce was under the impression that his former team would easily get it done against the Sixers.
When Joel Embiid returned for Game 4, the 76ers landed a big boost on paper, but it didn’t show up in the box score in the end. A second blowout loss in the series put the Sixers down 1-3.
It’s rare for teams to make that type of comeback, but Embiid and the 76ers proved another level could be reached on their end.
As Pierce explained, the Celtics weren’t ready for the next level of Embiid.
Paul Pierce Explains What Went Wrong For The Celtics
“It was like a shock,” Pierce said on No Fouls Given.
“He came in, I was like, he’s going to be rusty, not going to be that well in pick and roll. It just showed you how skilled and how much of an impact player he is. And you forget about it because he deals with all these injuries all the time, his presence ain’t really there. You just don’t see him. And then he comes in, and he looks like he’s been playing all year long. He’s a true X factor in the series; he completely changed the series.”
Embiid appeared in four games for the 76ers, seeing the court for 36.5 minutes per game. The star center produced 28.0 points per game, averaged 9.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists.
It wasn’t Embiid playing hero-ball for the 76ers–but the presence of the star center changed the way their offense was guarded–and the way they defended.
The Celtics simply didn’t have an answer for Embiid. While they were scrambling trying to find one, Tyrese Maxey dominated. Paul George was the perfect No. 3 option, while the rest of the supporting cast played unselfish roles.
Everything clicked for the Sixers late, but it wasn’t late enough for the Celtics to put them away in time. From 1-3 to winning the series, the 76ers are now set to take on the New York Knicks on Monday night for Game 1.