76ers Rumors: Joel Embiid ‘On Track’ to Return Game 2 vs. Celtics
From the Philadelphia 76ers’ bench, the six-time All-Star center Joel Embiid watched his teammates battle it out with the Boston Celtics for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Throughout the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Sixers have found moderate success in the absence of their big man, as they’ve gone 11-5 without him during the regular season and won Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets during the first round without the big man.
The Sixers increased that number in the win column on Monday, as Philly’s ten-time All-Star guard James Harden put on a 45-point showing to help the Sixers defeat the Celtics by four points.
On Tuesday, Embiid received a victory of his own as he was crowned the NBA MVP for the first time in his career after finishing as a finalist over the last two seasons.
Shortly after the announcement became official, Embiid talked with the NBA on TNT crew about his win and praised his teammates for grabbing a Game 1 win without him on Monday, in addition to praising them for helping him achieve his personal goal.
“First of all, I thank all of them because I couldn’t have done it without them,” said Embiid. “Obviously, we’ve been winning a lot, and the work that they’ve put in and to trust me and putting me in positions to succeed has been amazing. They’ve given up a lot for me. I’m just thankful for these guys that are all behind me. They know how much I’m thankful. I was gonna tell them that, but we’re gonna celebrate for five minutes, then we’re going back to business.
“We got a series to win,” he continued. “I’m just so proud of them. Winning [on Monday], that was a big one. We got a few more coming. I’m just so proud of them to be able to make sure and give me some time to heal and get back to myself. I’ll be back. We got more work to do.”
When asked whether or not Embiid would play in Game 2 on Wednesday, he cracked a smile.
“We shall see,” he said.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Embiid signaled to his teammates after the interview that he’s likely on track to return to the court in Wednesday’s game.
On the Sixers’ injury report, Embiid was listed as doubtful for the second-straight game. When Doc Rivers addressed the media on Tuesday morning, he revealed that Embiid would go through a workout to test his knee. His status for Game 2 would depend on how the MVP-winning center felt on Wednesday.
The Sixers will go through shootaround on Wednesday. That will likely be another opportunity for Embiid to test his knee out. While his status on the injury report remains doubtful, it seems Embiid is doing what he can to suit up and play on Wednesday.
