Even though the Boston Celtics are up three games on the Philadelphia 76ers with four games left in their season, they understand the importance of going up against players like Joel Embiid.
“You just gotta play as good a defense as you can playing against a superstar like that,” Williams told reporters, per NBC Sports Boston. “More of a team effort than putting it on someone individually, so, we just need everybody.”
“More of a team effort than putting it on someone individually.”
Rob Williams talks challenges of defending Joel Embiid
The Sixers are 0-3 against the Celtics this season. In two of those games, Williams didn’t play. Pending any surprises, both teams should have their full squad ready for their upcoming matchup on April 4. Though the Celtics are likely to get that no. 2 seed, the Sixers could make things interesting if they beat their division rival, which would cut their lead to two games above the Sixers as the season winds down.
Al Horford Reveals Reason Why He Chose Sixers over Celtics
Celtics center Al Horford went on former Sixer JJ Redick’s podcast, “The Old Man and the Three,” to discuss various topics, including why he chose the Sixers over the Celtics during the 2019 offseason.
Redick revealed that in a conversation between the two of them during the 2020 bubble, Horford told him that he signed with the Sixers partially because he believed that he was going to be teammates with Redick.
“We were almost teammates, Al. We were almost teammates. What could have been. What could have been,” Redick said. “Al and I ran into each other during the bubble…one of the things (Al) mentioned to me – (Al was) on Philly at the time – and I was like, ‘Al man, I wish I had gotten the chance to play with you,’ and you told me, ‘No, I was under the impression that you were gonna stay and that was part of the reason why I signed with Philly.’”
Horford himself then explained why he wanted to play with someone like Redick.
“One of the things that I thought was going in there was that we were gonna be teammates. I love playing with guys that can shoot the ball. I played with Kyle Korver earlier in Atlanta. Thinking that I was going to be playing with you, I was pretty excited about that. It just didn’t work out.”
Instead, Redick signed with the New Orleans Pelicans that summer, while Horford only lasted one season with the Sixers before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The year following, Horford was traded back to the Celtics.
Evan Turner Believes Celtics Would Beat Sixers in Playoffs
Former Sixers lottery pick Evan Turner explained why he would take the Celtics over the Sixers on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back,” believing that they have the personnel to shut down Embiid.
“I’m taking Celtics every single day, and twice on Sundays,” Turner said. “With this history, I think the Boston Celtics just have their number, besides the fact that I like the Celtics’ top eight better than the Sixers’ top eight. The way Embiid’s been playing this year, you have to take into consideration something occurring, but Jayson Tatum, he’s been through this a lot. The team has been playing hella defense. At the same time, Marcus Smart – if he has to shut down Embiid, maybe he can do it. He’s done it before”
Turner played for both the Sixers and the Celtics during his NBA career, which included playing with Smart from 2014 to 2016.
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Robert Williams Issues Statement on Joel Embiid Before Sixers Game vs. Celtics