Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid wins MVP award as Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle predicted
In mid-March, the Philadelphia 76ers thumped the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. The final score was 141-121, with the 76ers scoring at least 34 points in every quarter. They looked dominant in every way.
A big part of why was Joel Embiid. Philadelphia's superstar center finished with 31 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists that night in the win. Indiana had no answer for him.
After the game, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle gushed about Embiid when asked what makes the 76ers so tough to defend.
"Embiid is, right now, he's probably the MVP with what their team is doing and how he's just elevated his game," Carlisle said. "He's as difficult a guy to gameplan for as there is in the game."
Carlisle has coached an MVP in Dirk Nowitzki and played with one in Larry Bird, so he knows what it takes to reach that peak. He's seen it up close. His praise for Embiid was a strong endorsement.
And today it proved to be prescient. Embiid was named the NBA MVP on Tuesday, winning the award for the first time. He topped Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo for the trophy as he received 73 first-place votes among the 100 voters.
"He's a great player. He's a walking NBA cheat code right now," Carlisle added.
Embiid has crushed Indiana for essentially his entire career. He has averaged 30.8 points per game against the blue and gold in 16 battles, his fourth-highest scoring average against a particular opponent. His 11.8 rebounds per game against Indiana is the eighth-best number he has against one team. Philly is 12-4 in those games.
The big man is a tricky matchup for every team thanks to his power and technique. He's a monster on both ends of the court and, like Carlisle said, is almost impossible to plan against.
In an earlier matchup with the Pacers this season, Embiid finished with 42 points in a six-point 76ers win. When Indiana All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton was asked after the game why the Sixers were so hard to defend, he made his answer short and sweet.
"They have Joel Embiid," he said before a long pause. The brevity of the answer said more than the words themselves. Embiid is that good, and he has torched the Pacers for years. Now, he's the NBA MVP.
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