Despite Harden’s poor state and Embiid’s absence due to injury, the 76ers beat the Nets 96-88 in the fourth game of the playoffs, sweeping the Nets 4-0 to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals, becoming the first team to break through the first round of the playoffs this season. The 76ers swept their opponents in the playoffs for the first time since the 1990-91 season. However, the 76ers also have a hidden danger, that is, Embiid is troubled by a knee injury, and they are eager for Embiid to recover before the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Sweeping the Nets to Advance, Two Helpers Rise
It’s not that the 76ers performed too well, but that the Nets were too weak. The Nets sent Owen and Durant away, but they didn’t get all-star players. The new core was too young to bear the responsibility of leadership. He made 6 of 18 shots and got 14 points and 5 rebounds. Bridges was regarded as Durant’s successor by the Nets. However, his talent is not as good as Durant’s, and he used to be a role player in the Suns. When he came to the Nets, he has not fully adapted to the role of leader. Bridges needs a good polish during this year’s offseason.
The Sun’s Cameron Johnson is still too young, and Dinwiddie’s upper limit is not high. The 76ers can still beat the Nets without Embiid.
Harden was in a low state, making 4 of 18 shots and getting 17 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists. But Maxi scored 16 points and 8 rebounds, and Paul Reid scored 10 points and 15 rebounds. Tobias Harris scored 25 points and 12 rebounds. Maxi and Harris rose in the first round of the playoffs, and they were the top two players in the team, surpassing Embiid and Harden.
Beard averaged 17.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the playoffs, shooting 34.3% from the field and 42.4% from three points. Embiid played three playoff games, averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, while he averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in the regular season, making him the scoring champion this season. Neither of them performed as well in the playoffs as in the regular season.
Maxi was the scoring champion of the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 21.8 points per game. Tobias Harris averaged 20.3 points in the playoffs, making him the second leading scorer of the 76ers. Embiid averaged third in the 20.0 team and fourth in Harden’s 17.3 team.
Harris saved 76 people in this game. Harden praised Harris after the game: "He played great, man. He has been attacking the basket, finishing near the basket, making three points and defending well. This is a special game for him and we need him. "
Next, the 76ers need to prepare for the next round of competition. Their opponents in the Eastern Conference semifinals will be the winner between the Celtics and the Hawks.
Take a week off and look forward to the emperor’s recovery.
Embiid is not only the scoring champion of the 76ers this season, but also a popular candidate for MVP this season. The 76ers need Embiid to stay healthy if they want to go further in the playoffs. In an interview after the game, Harden said: "Obviously, today is very important for us, so that our big man can recover. This is the first priority." The 76 ers swept the Nets to advance, which is equivalent to buying Embiid at least one week’s recovery time.
Defender Maxi also talked about Embiid’s knee injury after the game: "The victory originated from Joel (Embiid). For him, he is the leader of this team. He encouraged his teammates before the game and wished us luck. We are grateful to him for this, and we need him to recover. "
No Embiid’s 76ers can beat the Nets, but it is almost impossible to break through in the second round. The Nets are actually the weakest team in the playoffs this year.
So what’s the situation with Embiid? After the elimination of the Nets, 76ers coach Rivers talked about Embiid’s injury, saying that Embiid has a maximum of 50% possibility to prepare for the second round of the playoffs. In addition, on the day before the Fourth World War, Rivers also talked about Embiid’s physical condition.
"He feels a little sore at the back of his knee, which is actually quite scary. It was swollen, so we did an MRI. Usually, there is basically no problem with the feedback results of nuclear magnetic resonance, but the results of this inspection are not particularly good. " Rivers said. If Embiid can’t recover in time, then the 76ers are likely to stop in the second round.
