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After the Philadelphia 76ers took a 2-0 lead over the Brooklyn Nets after their win on April 17, Los Angeles Lakers and NBA legend Magic Johnson singled out Joel Embiid and James Harden for their leadership in the Sixers’ quest to win a championship.
“I like the leadership of MVP Joel Embiid and his co-pilot James Harden. They are committed to trying to bring a championship to Philadelphia this season!” Johnson tweeted.
Johnson also vocalized how impressed he was with the Sixers following their performance against the Nets in the first two games of the playoffs.
“I’ve been really impressed with the Philadelphia 76ers! They’ve played some of their best basketball in these first two games against the Nets, which is why they are up 2-0.”
During his playing days, Johnson faced off against the Sixers in the NBA Finals three times, – 1980, 1982, and 1983 – to which the Lakers came out victorious the first two go-rounds, but the Sixers would beat them in their last head-to-head matchup with Johnson onboard, which was coincidentally the last time the Sixers won the championship.
The Lakers and Sixers matched up in the finals again in 2001, where the Lakers beat them, 4-1.
Joel Embiid Issues Statement on Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey played a pivotal role in helping the Sixers take a 2-0 lead going into Game 3 of their series against the Nets. Maxey put up a game-high 33 points on 13-for-23 shooting from the field, which included hitting six three-pointers.
During his postgame, Embiid praised Maxey and Tobias Harris for the performances they had against the Nets, especially with how the Sixers’ playoff opponent was defending Embiid.
“You got to do whatever it takes,” Embiid said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “I’m doubled. I’m triple-teamed. If I want to, I could get a shot. Is it going to be a good shot? Probably for me, I think so, but probably not most of the time. So, just got to trust it and keep making the right plays. Like I said, in the first half, we were pretty cold, but I knew at some point we were going to knock down shots. Tobias [Harris] was big. Obviously, Ty was big.”
When Embiid and Harden put up 20 points each like they did in Game 3, it’s imperative for players like Maxey to step up when his star teammates struggle from the field.
Joel Embiid Sends Strong Plea to James Harden
After the Sixers beat the Nets in Game 1, Embiid praised Harden for his playmaking abilities but urged his teammate to stay aggressive during the game and not be too keen to make plays for others.
“Like I said, he’s the best playmaker in the league by far,” Embiid said via House of Highlights. “But we don’t want him — I certainly don’t want him — to fall in love with just that. We need him to be aggressive. He was today. Just attacking. By him attacking, he collapses the defense and creates open shots for everybody, or (Paul Reed), playing in the dunker for easy drop-off passes. The key is not just being a playmaker but being aggressive, going downhill, and creating for himself and everyone else.”
