Doc Rivers Defends Decision to Keep Embiid Playing Late vs. Raptors

A second-half run in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors had the Philadelphia 76ers well on their way to the second round of the playoffs. 

However, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers wasn't going to take any chances late in the game as Toronto had yet to waive the white flag.

Just last year, Doc Rivers, Joel Embiid, and the Sixers found out that no lead is truly safe in the playoffs when there is enough time on the clock for another team to make a miraculous run.

Therefore, when the Sixers were looking to avoid a third-straight loss in Toronto, they wanted to ensure they closed out Game 6 with a victory to avoid a Game 7 scenario by keeping critical players like Joel Embiid on the floor late in the game.

Rivers' decision helped the Sixers wrap up Game 6 with a blowout win -- but the Sixers still suffered a loss in a way.

“It wasn’t four minutes left and 29 points,” said Rivers, according to Rich Hofmann of The Athletic. “(Embiid) scored the bucket to make it 29. Everyone was in. The other team had all their guys in. The last five minutes of the game, we made the run the last minute of that game right before that. That’s how we got up 29.”

Up nearly 30 points, Embiid remained in the game with less than five minutes left to go. After throwing down a dunk and celebrating with an infamous gesture in Toronto, Embiid took an elbow to the face on the defensive end, which clearly caused some pain for the big man.

After the game, Embiid joked that he might've broken his face. As it turned out, the Sixers' five-time All-Star wasn't fibbing.

According to a Sixers official, Embiid suffered an orbital fracture on his right side. He's also battling through a mild concussion. Embiid has been ruled out indefinitely with his recent diagnosis and is on pace to miss Game 1 of the second-round series against the Miami Heat.

While Raptors big man Pascal Siakam has garnered a lot of blame for Embiid's injury as he's the one who threw the elbow, Doc Rivers has collected his fair share of criticism as well since many were left questioning why Embiid was still in the game.

Doc's Defense

"Everyone was in there, and the other team had all their guys in too," said Rivers, per Hofmann. "The last five minutes of the game, we made the run the last minute of that game right before that. That’s when we got up 29. After Joel made the shot and did the airplane, if you watch the game, I turned and said, ‘I’m calling a timeout on the next possession.’ I’m not upset that he was in. You can make that a big deal if you want, but just go and look at every team and every game, and their guys are in until about the four, three-minute mark. That’s what it is.”

The Sixers have seen their fair share of blown leads throughout the year -- especially when Embiid comes off the floor. While a 29-point lead late in the fourth quarter should be sustainable without the star center on the floor, Rivers couldn't be sure his team could keep the ball rolling without their best player on the floor.

Whether Rivers was right or wrong for keeping Embiid in the game, the 76ers can't take back what's already done. Now, they have to focus on figuring out how to move forward without the big man for now.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.