12 May 2023 , 14:49
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The Philadelphia 76ers couldn't get the job done against the Boston Celtics on Thursday night, and MVP winner Joel Embiid was frustrated with his team-mates for allowing the series to go to Game Seven.
The 76ers missed the chance to progress to the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday in front of their home crowd, despite a stunning comeback earlier in the game. The Celtics led by as many as 16 points on the night, but the 76ers found themselves five points ahead during the third quarter.
But the 76ers collapsed late on, missing huge chances to keep chase and scoring just 13 points in the fourth quarter and losing the game 95-86. Embiid reflected on their performance after the game, and took aim at his team-mates for not giving him enough of the ball when it mattered.
Although a team game, Embiid may have a case - especially as he is the league MVP this season. The Cameroonian center only had one possession during the final four minutes of the game, a period where the 76ers needed a leader to inspire one final comeback.
Embiid's frustration grew, and it continued in the post-game interviews as he listed three reasons why the 76ers weren't on their way to the Eastern Conference finals just yet. "I think it was three things. We had a lot of wide open shots we didn’t make ’em," Embiid said after the game.
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"We stopped moving the ball. And I don’t think I touched the ball the last four minutes of the game. Like I said, missed a lot of good looks. I didn’t touch the ball at all."
But Embiid wasn't done there, as he gave an overall analysis on their sluggish offense, on a night where it was there for the taking. "I just think our offense kind of stalled a little bit, we stopped moving the ball and we stopped making plays for each other like we had been doing all night," Embiid added.
"And that was the result of not getting good shots and the ball not moving enough." But fellow 76ers superstar James Harden had a more measured response, as he credited the Celtics defence while suggesting that it's not always about being the guy who scores.
"I did a lot of really good things offensively. Defensively, they did a really good job of like their game plan was to pack the paint," Harden told reporters. "They started two bigs and they packed the paint. So they forced us to make shots.
James Harden credited the Celtics for their defensive work (Getty Images)"It’s not a hard game. I’m not gonna go out there and force it. Obviously, I want to score the basketball but I’m a playmaker as well. I don’t look too much at scoring."
The 76ers now face the daunting task of heading to Boston for the deciding game, and it's expected that the offense of both teams will be in much better form. The two teams were only separated by three wins in the regular season, and it's perhaps written in the stars that this series is going the full distance.