Fans inside Xfinity Mobile Arena broke into massive applause and chants of MVP when Joel Embiid was finally back. 17 days removed from undergoing an emergency appendectomy in Houston, the Philadelphia 76ers star had a double-double on his return. But it seems the Boston Celtics were seemingly not worried about his addition, which was announced 30 minutes before the tip-off.
Payton Pritchard dropped 32 points off the bench, helping the Beantown go up 3-1 in the series. It was the second time this week he was asked about the change in tactics or change in mindset when it comes to guarding Embiid. “No, mindset didn’t change for us, and honestly, as far as scouting goes, we just changed maybe a small adjustment right before the game, but we didn’t talk about it at all,” said the Celtics star after the game. This was done not to discredit the impact of the former MVP.
“Obviously, he’s a tremendous player, and he can be a tough cover. But for us is you know, it’s focused on us and how we want to play, and it’s on both ends. You know being into the ball defensively, crashing the glass, then just making the right read. So I thought we did a good job of crashing the glass tonight and getting second chances. That can be the difference.”
In this entire series, the Celtics have out-rebounded the 76ers. Even the addition of Joel Embiid was not enough. Boston outrebounded the Sixers 51-30, and the game plan was set in stone from the first whistle. Joe Mazzulla’s side had a whopping 14-rebound edge in the first half that sparked a 13-0 shutout in second-chance points to build a 21-point lead. Pritchard’s comments only highlight that their game plan was set, which they knew they would execute even if Embiid returned.
This sentiment carried before Game 3 as well. Because that’s when he was upgraded on the injury report. But even then, it did not bother Pritchard. “I don’t think we talked about it all,” he told reporters on April 24. “If he plays he plays, we’ll figure that out. It’s not like we’re sitting here worried if he’s playing or not … we haven’t even game-planned for him yet.” Embiid didn’t play in Game 3. But he did in Game 4, and the Celtics seemingly had other plans in motion and chose to pay very little attention to the 76ers’ center. Now, was this intentional or some epic mind games? That’s up for interpretation.
His return fell flat as the 76ers lost by 32 points for the second time in this series. He even had some sort of support band around his midsection and still started hot. At the game’s first timeout, Boston had nine points, and Embiid had eight. He ended with 26 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes, as it wasn’t enough to overcome the Celtics in their 128-96 Game 4 win over Philadelphia on Sunday night.
Despite not being 100%, his production and availability were far better than those of his teammates. The rest of his team was nowhere to be found, with very few signs of life or sense of urgency. Because of this, the Sixers failed to protect their home court, dropping back-to-back games in Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey only took three shots in the first half; he was stunningly passive. During his post-game media availability, he took accountability.
“That can’t happen, that’s on me, that absolutely can’t happen,” said the 76ers star. “That’s just unacceptable by me. I was playing within the flow of the game. It kind of just happened that way. But that’s on me. That’s absolutely unacceptable. It wasn’t meant to happen that way. We can’t win basketball games with that happening, and I take full responsibility for that one.
Apart from being passive, he couldn’t shake free from his defenders. Despite a poor start, Maxey still recorded 22 points, two rebounds, and six assists on 7-14 shooting from the field. While this is a respectable performance in every sense, considering what is at stake, it is apparent that Philadelphia needed more from its star.
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