Celtics Found Motivation in Joel Embiid’s Pregame MVP Ceremony

It’s hard for the Boston Celtics to deny that Joel Embiid deserved the right to be crowned the NBA MVP following a spectacular regular season performance in 2022-2023.

But when it comes to playoff basketball, any extra pinch of motivation is key to finding an edge.

So, when the Celtics had to stand around for an additional ten minutes following warmups to watch the Sixers’ big man collect his award and get the crowd amped up while sharing a special moment with his family, friends, teammates, and fans, Boston was able to use the moment to plot a victory.

“We knew it was gonna be great energy,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said after the game regarding the atmosphere on Friday night for Game 3.

“We knew he was receiving his MVP award, which I still think is well deserved,” Brown continued. “We knew that we wanted to take tremendous shots from them in the first half. We just got to play 48 minutes, and we knew the officiating was gonna be what it was. You know, whether it was how we feel about it, we found a way to get a win.”

Jayson Tatum wasn’t around for the ceremony, as he remained in the back per his usual pregame routine, but he was aware of the moment that was being created.

“I could hear it,” the star claimed. “They had it on the TV, and I saw it. It just kind of got me really ready to play.”

The Celtics found added motivation going into Game 2 earlier this week, as they came up short against an Embiid-less Sixers team at their own house in Game 1. Admittedly, the Celtics described themselves as “angry” and “pissed off” about the results.

What did they do? The Celtics bottled up those emotions and applied it to Game 2. Although the Sixers were riding high coming off a James Harden 45-point performance while getting Embiid back on the floor just one day after he was crowned MVP for the first time in his career, Boston kicked Philly to the curb with a 121-87 victory to even the series.

Following Game 2, Jaylen Brown mentioned he wanted the Celtics to maintain their anger and bring it to South Philly for Game 3, where he anticipated a tough atmosphere.

Many believed Embiid’s pregame MVP ceremony would create a can’t-lose scenario — but one team found more motivation from the event in a different way.

“You could feel the energy from the crowd in the building,” Tatum finished. “You know, I'm happy for him. He earned it. He deserved it, but I was just focused on trying to win tonight.”

As grateful as Embiid was for the moment before the game, he admitted that the results beyond that made it hard to fully appreciate.

“We should have won tonight,” Embiid claimed. “It would’ve made it even better. It’s hard for me to sit here and think about winning that when you’re down 2-1 and trying to find ways where you can help and win games and trying to bring your teammates along. I think that’s the next step for me to just help everybody else.”

The Sixers didn’t lose in blowout fashion this time, but they didn’t inspire hope in the idea that they could take over the series, either. Losing by a 12-point deficit, the Sixers trail for the first time during the 2023 NBA Playoffs. A loss on Sunday pins their backs against the wall heading back to Boston. A win puts the Sixers right back in it.

“We all got to be on the same page,” Embiid finished. “For us to win, and I said it all season, we have to be almost perfect, and we don’t have a lot of margin for error. Everybody has to show up and do their job, and it all starts with me. I got to be better.”