Sixers Refuse to use Joel Embiid's Absence as an Excuse for Sunday's Loss
This past weekend, the Philadelphia 76ers had their first set of back-to-back games beginning on Saturday night. Before the matchup against the New York Knicks, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers admitted he wouldn't reveal whether Embiid will play on the second night of the back to back against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"You have to wait and see," the head coach said on Saturday night. Sunday came around, and Embiid's name didn't appear on the team's injury report hours before tip-off. That changed in the moments leading up to the start of the game, though.
"[Joel Embiid] was actually planning on going," Rivers said after Sunday night's matchup against the Cavaliers. "He went out on the floor, and he had some stiffness in his back, and we just thought, 'Why chance it this early in the season?'"
Embiid, who has averaged just under 30 points-per-game this season, was ruled out of Sunday's matchup less than an hour before the game got started. While Rivers claims there's nothing to be worried about in terms of Embiid's injury, the team's play without the three-time All-Star was definitely concerning.
But the 76ers won't use Embiid's absence as an excuse. Despite losing to a lesser Cleveland Cavaliers team by 24 points, the Sixers found out a lot about themselves on Sunday night. They might be a good team -- even without Embiid on the floor -- but they learned they have a lot of work to do moving forward. And having Embiid become a late-scratch isn't a valid reason as to why they lost.
"When that happens, you still gotta be able to play and get through it," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers on Sunday night. "There's no excuses for that to affect your team. This is gonna happen all year with guys; they think they can go out -- we wait and wait, then they tell us they can't. Joel won't be the only one. So, somebody has to step up. I didn't think we stepped up at all today."
Playing without Embiid isn't anything new for Sixers starters Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. Every year, the big man is expected to miss at least a chunk of games due to injury or load management. We've witnessed Harris and Simmons get the job done without him in the past, but on Sunday, they simply couldn't come out on top.
"At the end of the day, he was not there, and we were on the floor, he had no control," Simmons said following the loss. "[His absence] could've or may have not [had an impact], but that's on us. We just gotta lock in and play better. Regardless of the situation."
"I would really just attribute [the loss] to our play out there," said Sixers forward Tobias Harris. "We knew when we started the game that Joel wasn't out there. So for us, we still got to play basketball. We turned the ball over way too many times tonight. On top of that, we just didn't have a real focus and energy on the defensive end, and they never felt us all game. That's really where it starts and ends right there."
The good news is, the Sixers seem to be moving forward with the assumption that they'll have Embiid back for Tuesday night's game against the Toronto Raptors as he's listed as probable. Regardless of whether he returns or not, though, the 76ers know they have to clean up the turnovers and establish a better rhythm on the court.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
