The title is not technically what I said, but I changed Embiid's words slightly. In late March, at a pivotal moment in the MVP race, Embiid said in an interview:
"I'm not a two-time MVP, I've never been named to the All-NBA team, I don't have any honors. Why should I stress when someone has won two MVPs or even multiple MVP trophies and has not achieved anything? ”
More than a month later, Embiid won the All-NBA team and MVP trophy, and the two biggest honors of his career were received. At this point I want to ask Embiid, are you under pressure now? What kind of performance did you play under pressure?
In the 76ers vs. Celtics semifinals, when G6 Tatum shot 1-of-14 and the 76ers failed to win the game, some people can probably think that the 76ers are over this season.
In the early hours of this morning's G7, sure enough, the Celtics easily eliminated the 76ers at home. This is the most inconspicuous reversal in Lao Li's brilliant reversal career, because everyone knows that the 76ers will be reversed, and there is no surprise.
Tatum proved his resolve with a dunk in the opening quarter, Tatum's first athletic goal in the first quarter in the last four games. Embiid's response was two mid-range dry pulling irons.
From the first minute of the seven-break, Embiid was out of shape, absent-minded, and far less committed on the defensive end than in the previous games. The 76ers actually played well in the first quarter, and of course the excellence here refers to anyone other than Harden and Embiid.
Maxey hit the fire, Harris shot accurately, and even Tucker scored 11 points in the first quarter. In response to the Celtics' release, Tucker made three three-pointers in the first quarter to help the 76ers play the first quarter and lead the Celtics by six points.
In the second quarter, when Harden led the team alone, the 76ers also played well, with excellent defensive rotation, which made the Celtics uncomfortable, and at one point had a nine-point lead. Then when Embiid arrived, the Celtics turned the tide in a wave.
It's been a long time since I've seen an MVP-caliber player play such a crotch-pulling, such a catastrophic game. I don't know if there have been counts, all the game, how many times Embiid went down when blocking the demolition?
Every time he blocked Harden, Embiid reached out from outside the three-point line to ask for the ball, and Horford, who was defending him, ignored him and went to help defend Harden who broke in. Harden also had a bit of autonomy in the first half, and in the second half, Harden gave the ball directly to Embiid in the middle of the half, allowing the latter to play freely.
After the G6 loss, Embiid summed it up by saying: "I didn't get the ball in the last 4 minutes". The number of Harden's ball holdings in the first and second halves of G7 is if two are two, what happened in the midfield locker room?
What does the 76ers' offense look like when Embiid is on the ball? The two sides started at 55, and the Celtics' offense was smooth, with little obstruction on the defensive end. The 76ers' offense is so sluggish that Embiid is either waiting outside the three-point line to catch the ball or facing Horford in the mid-range.
Embiid couldn't beat Horford at all today, and even the back singles were covered by the aging Horford in the third quarter. The scores were both tied at 55, making it 58-76, and the Celtics played the 76ers 21-3 in 6 and a half minutes.
During this period, Harden scored a chasing three-pointer, and the rest of the offensive round was either iron or error. Lao Li called two timeouts during this period, and each timeout came back, the first attack was wrong, and the team was completely out of control.
Throughout the third quarter, Embiid didn't score even one point on 0-of-4 shooting, or even a free throw, because he didn't want to go to the box to make a kill. Embiid also made only 6 free throws in the whole game.
That's pretty much the end of the game, and fans are watching for the rest of the day watching how Tatum scores on Embiid's head. At 7:24 in the fourth quarter, Embiid again faced Tatum, who had already scored 48 points before that.
Tatum immediately made a three-pointer after three threats, and Embiid reached out symbolically, and Tatum hit his sixth three-pointer of the game. It was Tatum's 51st point, setting a new record for Curry's seven-game scoring in the first round.
Tatum named Embiid several times, played multiple times, and Embiid was destroyed on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and his plus-minus was -28 in the whole game. A new MVP, hard to be beaten into a scope by Tatum.
Shooting 17-of-28 from the field, efficiently scoring 51 points, plus 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, including 6-of-10 three-pointers, Tatum played a perfect seven-game game. He has won five consecutive battles in the Seven Rabbits, and the Seven Rabbits are worthy of his name. Aside from losing to 18 Janes in his rookie year, Tatum never missed a game in the tie-break.
And Embiid, who has not won the big seven games in his career. In 19, he lost to Junior Car, Embiid shed tears, and the fans felt sorry for Embiid at that time; In '21, Embiid lost to the Hawks in seven games, when all the pots were carried by Simmons and Embiid passed smoothly.
In this year's seven-game grab, Embiid shot 5-of-18, with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 turnovers. What excuse do you have? Looking at Embiid's shooting chart, all mid-range shots, long two-pointers, and three-pointers near the free throw line are terrifying.
A guard shooting like this is sure to be reviled, Embiid you're a center, the league's regular season player of the season. Where is your shame in playing such a performance in the battle of the seventh life and death? Where is your sense of honor?
You said you didn't have the ball, the ball was played for you today and you played so badly against a Horford, who is almost 37 years old. You can't beat 34-year-old Gasol Jr. in '19, you can't beat 37-year-old Horford in '23, where did your ruthlessness go when you competed for MVP?
It's a fact that Harden didn't play well either, he won two games with the team in this series, where is your role in the rest of the game? What do fans expect from Harden? What are the expectations for you as an MVP? You don't think you and Harden are carrying the same expectations, do you?
In the six games you played, none of them shot more than 50 percent from the field, and you were a center. In the sixth and seventh games, your three-point shot is 0 of 6, does this three-point have to be shot?
I haven't been so disappointed with a player in a long time, and what should have been a fierce seven-for-seven battle turned into a one-sided abuse game from the third quarter, all thanks to Embiid.
The game wasn't over yet, and I was wondering what Embiid would say to excuse himself after the game. As expected, Embiid said, "I have to get better, and I will definitely get stronger." But I can't win alone. ”
"We kept shooting and then didn't go in, and that's okay. Maybe that's what was fated. Tatum was inefficient throughout the series, and he picked a good time to burst out. ”
Even Embiid said with a smile: "Like someone said, it's not a failure, it's a step towards success." "Alphabet brother and Embiid, two playoff losers, have found similar resonance.
Embiid failed to grab seven in '19 and walked back to the locker room crying; Embiid failed in '23 and greeted each other with a smile and a burst of his Tatum, and I think it's also a sign of maturity.
One of the most successful things Embiid has done over the years is to make public opinion think that he and Jokic are a quality player. In fact, the gap between Embiid and Jokic is much larger than the gap between one MVP and two MVPs.
When Embiid was beaten by the Celtics on the court, Simmons from afar turned on the TV, took a picture of the 76ers trailing by 30 points, and had a great day.