Joel Embiid Believes Sixers Gave Strong Effort in Game 6 vs. Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers had bad body language during their Game 5 blowout loss on the road against the Miami Heat earlier this week.

After the game, players such as James Harden, Tobias Harris, and even Joel Embiid talked about how the Sixers’ effort was lacking as they were physically dominated by the Miami Heat.

After falling short by nearly 40 points, the Sixers dropped to 2-3 in the second-round series. With a Game 6 matchup at home on Thursday night, the 76ers were in a do-or-die scenario.

Through the first half, Philly kept the game close, but their second-half performance was questionable, at best. As the Heat kept their foot on the gas, the Sixers couldn’t overcome their struggles. Eventually, Miami put the Sixers away for good with a 99-90 victory on Thursday.

Following the loss, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers admitted he didn’t like how his team played. For the second-straight game, Tobias Harris questioned the effort of his squad. While Embiid might’ve agreed that the Sixers didn’t play hard enough overall in Game 5, Embiid thought his team competed to the best of its ability on Thursday.

“As far as I can tell, I think we competed,” said Embiid. “I think we tried to play hard. Me personally, I know I tried. As a team, I think, for the most part, we tried, and it just wasn’t good enough.”

Embiid, who was playing through several significant injuries, wanted to leave everything he had out on the court in Game 6 no matter what. After playing in all but four minutes of Game 6, Embiid couldn’t help the Sixers edge out a win. Regardless of the final results, Embiid doesn’t feel regretful about the results.

“I mean, tonight, I was trying to be on the floor really the whole game,” Embiid said. “I didn’t want to take any breaks. The season was on the line, so I just wanted to do whatever I could and not regret anything.”

With the Sixers coming up short, Embiid and his team enter a critical offseason. As Philly’s front office works on making the necessary roster changes the team needs, Embiid will focus on continuing to grow and develop as a player.

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

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