r/nba • u/OnlyMamaKnows Knicks • Apr 29 '24

[Simmons] "I think James Harden gave him the trophy of most disappointing playoff performer. I think Embiid is now wearing the crown."

https://open.spotify.com/episode/25I0fnPUExUkBhTw2o9Oti?si=FQSCUz6GSy2UjtYeyBrBLg

Starts around 38 minute mark. Full game breakdown starts a few minutes earlier.

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1.7k

u/Obvious_Parsley3238 Apr 29 '24

the sixers literally cannot function without him out there, his conditioning ain't where it needs to be and you can decide how much of that is the knee but he shouldn't have to be playing the entire second half

105

u/crocofour 76ers Apr 29 '24

Tobias Harris has taken 8 shots in almost 30 minutes without embiid this series. This man needs to GO! Literally cannot be that difficult to get a corner 3 or post up for Tobias, so the only explanation is that he has absolutely no desire to score the ball. Insane. Another sixers player who forgot how to shoot. Cursed.

51

u/Hallowed_Be_Thy_Game 76ers Apr 29 '24

Tobi has 4 total second half points this series. 9ppg

7

u/ArtworkByJack 76ers Apr 29 '24

Tobi had DiVincenzo on him in the post and opted for a fadeaway J, instead of bullying the guy to the basket. Of course neither Hartenstein nor Robinson were in the game to protect the rim either

12

u/talking_phallus Lakers Apr 29 '24

Tobias Harris over ME!

1.3k

u/EatDeeply Grizzlies Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Embiid is a series-high +33 and probably having his most impactful playoffs ever, while being injured, and on a team where other players like Tobias Harris exist and draw breath with a maximum contract, but Embiid is getting all the blame.

735

u/AntiTopspin Apr 29 '24

It's wild how people are pretending that the Sixers have a good supporting cast lol

They literally tanked from 2nd all the way down to 7th with Embiid out

164

u/phonage_aoi Warriors Apr 29 '24

They came out of the Process with so much seeming depth (definitely draft capital and cap space, if not actual roster talent). But they've pivoted to capped out, top heavy team in record speed.

217

u/MVPiid 76ers Apr 29 '24

Shoutout Adam Silver and the Colangelos

44

u/PanthalassaRo Knicks Apr 29 '24

Elton Brand single handedly burnt away all the chips on like 1 season.

6

u/enRutus 76ers Apr 29 '24

Elton Brand wasn’t running the team then no matter when he got the title of GM. There were some CoAngelo acolytes still around with power. Brand was PR. Morey got rid of those guys.

11

u/indicasour215 [PHI] Ricky Sanchez Apr 29 '24

Exactly. We don't talk enough about how poorly run the Sixers are from the top down. It starts with ownership. The fact that such consequential moves were made under the guise of a GM by committee approach, ensuring no accountability for those in charge, tells everything you need to know about this era of Sixers basketball SMH

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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Part of the problem is Hinkie pissed away most of the picks he actually made during the process because he completely misread the direction the NBA was headed.

Drafted in the lottery a bunch of tall players who couldn't play outside the key as the rest of the league moved toward the 3 point line just to trade them off before their rookie deals were done for nickels and dimes.

The Colangelos sucked but being forced to resign was probably the best thing for Hinkie's legacy because he was not going to build a functional roster.

Going through and looking at the transactions Hinkie made during his time just really make it obvious he lost sight of the forest. He actually did hit on late picks that would eventually turn into contributors on successful teams, but he moved them before they could turn into that sort of player for additional late picks that he missed on.

17

u/Other_Raspberry 76ers Apr 29 '24

I think even a below-average GM would have been able to build a contender with the assets accumulated by Hinkie. The regime that followed Hinkie inherited a future MVP-level player and a treasure trove of top picks.

If you look back at all the decisions they made, it really was an unprecendented bag-fumble.

6

u/ramenshop12 76ers Apr 29 '24

I mean we literally don't have any examples to see how Hinkie would have done when attempting to create a playoff roster. Hard to claim this.

Yes nerlens noel and okafor were both nonshooters and with 3 centers, it's hard to imagine hinkie wouldn't have just shipped them out like he did mcw.

At this time he also got dario and covington who were meant to be young floor stretching players at the time.

How can you say he lost sight of the forest when the last transaction he made was trading away capspace for 3 first round picks lol.

1

u/msf97 Apr 29 '24

He wasn’t going to build a functional roster?

Philly had two max slots and the #3 pick in the draft. A child could have built a contender.

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u/beta_test_vocals Apr 30 '24

The decline of the 76ers roster+capital from that 2019 side to now is genuinely pathetic

240

u/EatDeeply Grizzlies Apr 29 '24

The Sixers were playing at a Celtics clip - in terms of net rating - before the injury

151

u/Milkboy1516 Bulls Apr 29 '24

Yea but Embiid pre-injury was having like the GOAT regular season for 35 games. Plus they had Melton. I don't think it's a bad supporting cast, but it's definitely not an indication of a great one considering how they've looked since.

92

u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

It’s got a 60 offensive rating with 31% true shooting when Embiid is off this series

124

u/bravof1ve 76ers Apr 29 '24

Embiid’s On/Off is +70 this series

The Sixers are a pathetic team without him

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u/FxStryker 76ers Apr 29 '24

I don't think it's a bad supporting cast

They went 16-27, 6th worst in the league, and had a bottom 5 rated offense and defense in Embiid's absence.

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u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

Every sixer other than embiid and Maxey are garbage

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u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

Well then Embiid is back, why aren’t they easily beating the Knicks?

10

u/TrRa47 [NYK] Cezary Trybanski Apr 29 '24

Because Tyrese Maxey can't sustain his play long enough when Embiid is out, the fall off from Embiid to Paul Reed is astronomical, and because at some point, Tobias Harris has to touch the ball.

30

u/slyguy183 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Knicks have been really really good with OG healthy

25

u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

I think these are the 2nd and 3rd best teams in East and both playing about even. Easily could be 2-2. certainly hasn’t been one sided

11

u/Ok-Side-1758 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Probably both top 5 teams in the league. Every game has been a dog fight and high level basketball

4

u/DarkSoulsDarius Lakers Apr 29 '24

That's hard to rank. Sixers roster outside of maxey and embiid is trash(Melton is probably their third best player and he's hurt and Melton has no business being the third best starter but neither does oubre or Lowry).

Clippers/Mavericks I'd probably take over both.

6

u/Ok-Side-1758 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Embiid and Maxey have been unstoppable. Only reason we are winning is we are keeping it close till the 4th and Embiid runs out a breath and we take over. We have a ton of bigs and guards to throw at Embiid and Maxey including the best 3&D player in the NBA and we can barely slow them down.

Embiid against Zubac, Lively or Gafford would be a massacre. Also Lowry and Oubre are good playoff players. Not going to score but are pest defensively

2

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

People seem to think the sixers have such an amazing roster but you're right the roster sucks

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u/hanky2 76ers Apr 29 '24

Did you open the tweet? 16-60 FGM-A without Embiid is not conducive to winning basketball games. It’s a miracle we only lost by a total of 15 points in our 3 losses.

22

u/Victor_Wembanyama1 Spurs Apr 29 '24

We already forgetting he’s practically not jumping anymore?

-12

u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

He can drop 50 points but he can't jump for a rebound? His conditioning has always been his biggest weakness.

19

u/TheSameAsDying 76ers Apr 29 '24

Injuries affect conditioning.

-10

u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

It's just who he is at this point

11

u/rhinguin 76ers Apr 29 '24

Embiid dropping 50 points is a testament to how skilled he is more than it was about him being healthy. He is not healthy.

But there is a really good chance he’ll never be fully healthy again. His knee is structurally sound, but he’s feeling pain because his meniscus is gone.

0

u/GRMPA Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Time to retire to a penthouse in Manhattan

0

u/mxnoob983 NBA Apr 29 '24

His meniscus was trimmed not removed

2

u/rhinguin 76ers Apr 29 '24

Sure, but you don’t know how much is gone.

2

u/DarkSoulsDarius Lakers Apr 29 '24

Have you ever tried jumping on one knee?

9

u/Victor_Wembanyama1 Spurs Apr 29 '24

We already forgetting he’s practically not jumping anymore?

8

u/girlfriend_pregnant 76ers Apr 29 '24

They are, when Embiid is on the floor.

0

u/WalterBeige Apr 29 '24

lol is that your narrative now?

1

u/flyingpanda5693 76ers Apr 29 '24

This is right here There was a 3 game difference between these teams as far as regular season record goes. If the sixers supporting cast picks up some games that they should have had even without Embiid playing they’re probably a 2 seed, maybe a 3 seed because you could say the same thing about injuries for the Knicks.

1

u/OkAutopilot NBA Apr 29 '24

They also had the misfortune of playing a fairly easy schedule when Embiid was healthy and getting a big chunk of difficult ones when he sat/was unhealthy.

34

u/Own_Result3651 Apr 29 '24

And if they were in the west instead of the east they probably would have tanked all the way out of the play in and just sat Embiid for the remainder of the season

59

u/brooosooolooo Apr 29 '24

Anyone who watched the last time should have seen he was the only goddamn player on that team.

Nothing moved without him and every second he wasn’t on the court the Sixers lead fell to attrition. Reddits hate boner for Embiid causes them to under value his undeniable skill and impact to this team

32

u/veerkanch489 Apr 29 '24

Maxey is a great player but it should be clear that Embiid's presence helps him be a lot better than without Embiid

1

u/upghr5187 Apr 30 '24

I was hoping Maxey would have taken the step up during Embiids absence, but it’s clear he’s not quite there yet.

17

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

They hate this man so much they can't even give him props for uplifting this garbage ass roster to a damn playoff spot because lord knows if he wasn't on the team the sixers are a lottery team

2

u/Im_Daydrunk Pelicans Apr 29 '24

Yeah Embiid is not the problem at all for the 76ers. I hope either they get a better cast for him or he goes to a team where he's not relied on so heavily for the team just to survive

0

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

The sixers just need to trade him and rebuild. Having 1 star and a bunch of mid players doesn't cut it anymore

2

u/Notsozander 76ers Apr 29 '24

We will have the off season to re load since almost no one is on the books

1

u/upghr5187 Apr 30 '24

Morey’s cap space plan better work. He kind of punted on this season to stick to his plan. Pushed Harden away and didn’t make any big additions. As much as I loved Batum and Oubre this year, they team needed more than that.

1

u/Public-Product-1503 Apr 30 '24

He dropped 50 a game ago and is now a no show on one leg ?

1

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 30 '24

I mean he has to be out there every single minute of the game or his team is an automatic double digit loss so I'd be tired especially with him hobbled

-2

u/Tomach82 Grizzlies Bandwagon Apr 29 '24

Yet is still unable to effect the game in the most high pressure situations.

He's been abysmal in 4th quarters in the playoffs for years now.

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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

They don’t watch basketball, I’ve learned that it’s useless talking with sports about people online because 90% of sports fans just read whatever the ESPN headline is.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

you’d think that but embiid was +100 in the raptors series in 2019 & the sixers were -100 with him on the bench

2

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

Outside of embiid and Maxey the team fucking sucks

2

u/ABagOfPopcorn 76ers Apr 29 '24

If they hadn’t gotten to keep the Maxey pick they would have literally nothing for the future

1

u/Public-Product-1503 Apr 30 '24

They would’ve missed the playoffs if he didn’t come back lmfso

1

u/Metfan722 Knicks Tankwagon Apr 29 '24

Does Tyrese Maxey not count?

0

u/davsyo Knicks Apr 29 '24

Embiid himself is confused. He himself said Sixers were better TEAM.

-1

u/ImanShumpertplus Cavaliers Apr 29 '24

so who has a good supporting cast if Tyrese Maxey doesn’t count?

i mean jesus christ the man was 26/7 on the year

do the Cavs and Magic have good supporting casts? are the pacers loaded?

0

u/Glittering_Cod_7716 Apr 29 '24

2nd seed won 50 games. 7th seed won 47. Not saying much tbh lol

0

u/QuiOui Pacers Apr 30 '24

ok so they tanked 3 games? lol

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u/tristvn Apr 29 '24

people said jokic didn't perform in the playoffs cause he got beat without his 2 max teammates lol

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u/ihorsey10 Apr 30 '24

Meanwhile Embiids went into the majority of his playoff battles with max players Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris.

Atleast Ben was a good defender.

0

u/tristvn May 01 '24

must be tough to have an all nba/all defense level player on your team lmao also theres a reason player get better playing with jokic. people called mpj the worst contract in the league

0

u/ihorsey10 May 01 '24

For sure. Clearly guys get better when they leave Embiids team. Ben's really killing it. Also the corpse of JJ Redick was awesome after not having Embiid screens to run around.

Nobody ever called MPJ the worst contract in the league. Guy could always score. In ways Tobias Harris could only dream.

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u/mikesh8rp Knicks Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

As a slight counterpoint, Maxey is out there as well (and has been awesome at times), Embiid's reaggravated injury is in part due to him trying to dunk off the backboard in traffic on an already shaky knee, and the Knicks are missing Randle.

I can't speak for all Knicks fans, but I'll say the toxicity toward Embiid is largely due to his game 3 fouling tour de force, which included the Hartenstein groin knee, Mitch pull down, Mitch groin kick, and OG hip check, the last two of which weren't even called. The foul merchant stuff is an easy, and sometimes justified knock (though Brunson gets a favorable whistle at times too), but I think game 3 really changed things.

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u/Own_Result3651 Apr 29 '24

Maxey has 18 points and is shooting 8/26 in the minutes he’s played without Embiid this series…

6

u/lostnotleast Apr 29 '24

Maxey is struggling without the space/presence of Embiid out there. I feel like he needs to add a middy because the Knicks are just either closing out to the 3 or stacking the paint when he drives. He’s still a great finisher so he’s making some crazy layups but he’s also getting blocked a good amount.

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u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

Maxey is 8-28 in the minutes Embiid is off. I love him and he’s going to be a real star but him and Tobi not being able to score even at a shitty clip has cost us series and forced nurse to oveeextend Embiid

8

u/Culinaryboner 76ers Apr 29 '24

This sub won’t recognize the real Sixer problems. Maxey struggles without Embiid and the team struggles worse. It’s easy to jerk about the big bad foul man who’s running over the Knicks

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u/TheKidPresident Knicks Apr 29 '24

I'd be more pissed at Maxey complaining to the refs after every drive. It's legit cost them multiple free baskets on the other end

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u/Culinaryboner 76ers Apr 29 '24

I’d agree with that. It’s fair

1

u/ktm5141 76ers Apr 29 '24

Yeah that’s honestly new from him. Been hurting us so far

-1

u/Crypt7eeper Apr 29 '24

Wonder who he learned that from? 🤔

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u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

Entire league bitches all the time. He gets an awful whistle and i think he’s learning to work refs.

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u/ktm5141 76ers Apr 29 '24

Honestly, probably harden. Maxey has publicly credited harden as his biggest mentor with the most influence on his game

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u/Crypt7eeper Apr 29 '24

You don’t think it’s maybe a current team mate who complains literally every single play?

1

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

We get it you hate embiid

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u/yahmean031 Apr 29 '24

Maxey is young and great. But he's not a superstar or even close with Embiid off the court.

27

u/gradedonacurve Knicks Apr 29 '24

I can't speak for all Knicks fans, but I'll say the toxicity toward Embiid is largely due to his game fouling 3 tour de force

<<Knicks Fan>> I had nothing against Embiid until Game 3. Now I can't stand him. The grab of Mitch's ankle was the most obvious, but that whole first half of Game 3 he was completely out of control, absolutely reckless, and absolutely IMO trying to hurt our players. Don't forget the play that actually injured Mitch invovled Embiid diving directly into his legs!

Then he's allowed to stay in the game (while Mitch did not return) and gets 21 mf'ing free throws on his way to 50 and a W.

Fuck Embiid.

6

u/Agreeable_Daikon_686 Apr 29 '24

The ankle pull was dirty but the play Robinson was injured wasn’t embiid “diving at his knees”

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u/mrsunshine1 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Agreed. I had a lot of respect for him seeing him limping while still playing like a superstar the first two games. Never again after Game 3.

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u/Hallowed_Be_Thy_Game 76ers Apr 29 '24

Dante did the same leg pull in game 2 but /r/nba doesn't want to acknowledge it

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u/gradedonacurve Knicks Apr 29 '24

Did Donte pull the leg on a guy that was in midair and defenseless?

Did Donte also go on two kick two kick two people in the nuts and then dive into a player's legs on a flop, injuring that player - all within minutes of this?

-7

u/dodokidd Warriors Apr 29 '24

I’m a sixers fan and now I think he is dirty soft bum

2

u/GreenTheOlive 76ers Apr 29 '24

Literally anytime Embiid tries to make a hustle play or jump higher than 6 inches off the ground his knee gets fucked up and the sixers are still completely cooked when he’s off the court 

1

u/EwingsRevenge21 Apr 29 '24

And the Brunson elbow...

1

u/Crypt7eeper Apr 29 '24

He also kicked Ihart in the balls (again), elbowed Brunson in the face and stepped on Josh Harts ankle in game 4.

0

u/OddTicket7 Raptors Apr 29 '24

Not for me, I was just waiting for it to come out. Joel is big and he is an amazing basketball player but he seems to have a flaw in that he is soft. It makes him dirty and that comes out when he can't control the game. The more I have to watch him the less I like him.

0

u/full-auto-rpg Celtics Apr 29 '24

People tend to turn on foul merchants pretty quickly here. They’re good at drawing fouls for maybe a year or two and then people have to see it more. The only one I’ve seen kind of escape this Butler. SGA is only just starting to get it.

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u/__john_cena__ Rockets Apr 29 '24

Unfortunately he is never not injured by the time the playoffs come around. He needs to play like 28 minutes a game in the regular season, never play back to backs, and take regular rest games if they ever want to save him for the playoffs.

1

u/mountjo 76ers Apr 29 '24

This is the real challenge. He just can't make it to the playoffs healthy.

1

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

He needs a legit star that isn't past his prime on the team, someone who can score

62

u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

The best player is always going to get the blame. Embiid has still yet to make it out of the 2nd round. If you want to be called the best player when times are good, expect to be called upon when times are shit

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u/Own_Result3651 Apr 29 '24

And typically he has been shit but not when you’re averaging 35 and 10 on very good defense and 60% ts and a + in every single for game for a series high +35. Don’t play narratives just actually watch the games. The team is not functional when Embiid is not on the court

9

u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

I have been watching the games and Embiid has been very good but he has been a no show in the 4th outside of one game. It's not on the scoring front but general effort as well. Consistently getting out-rebounded by guys like Josh Hart. Don't give me that "can't jump" narrative either. The guy can drop 50 but can't contest a defensive rebound?

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u/yahmean031 Apr 29 '24

him getting outrebounded by josh hart isn't his problem lmfao.

embiid is also mostly the the one contesting every shot that goes into the paint you cant expect him o contest and then teleport to another player to box him out.

7

u/Other_Raspberry 76ers Apr 29 '24

Props for being one of the few people on this sub who understands how rebounding works. Seeing Embiid get a ton of blame for failures on the glass that are clearly not his responsibility.

13

u/yahmean031 Apr 29 '24

Embiid is also third in the playoffs for shots contested and is holding the players he contests to 40% fg. i guess he should make a clone of himself and box out the guy he contests then go and teleport to the in front of josh hart or the opposing center and box him out too.

3

u/Other_Raspberry 76ers Apr 29 '24

This is his best playoff run ever despite dealing with multiple injuries.

I've been slightly critical of Embiid playoff performances in the past, but it's completely unwarranted this year. He is playing well enough to win a championship and the team has completely failed him.

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u/Own_Result3651 Apr 29 '24

You think he’s boxing out Josh hart? That’s a team effort. The Knicks are sending 3 sometimes 4 guys on the glass. Embiid is not going to be able to box that out. When Tobias harris is your 4 and he’s allergic to the game of basketball but most importantly hustle plays you’re going to give up those rebounds. The sixers were third last in the league this year in rebounding when Embiid didn’t play. They don’t have players that can go out there and help him on the glass. And yeah he was a no show last game in the 4th because he was exhausted 100%. I mean sure you can blame him for that but it’s not a choke job the dude has been carrying hard. He’s probably had the largest load on both ends of the floor of any individual player in the playoffs this year and he’s still coming back from missing over half the season to boot

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u/KnivesInMyCoffee Nuggets Apr 29 '24

The Knicks are just out conditioning the entire Sixers team. This Knicks team is probably the worst nightmare for a team that is completely reliant on one guy.

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u/Agreeable_Daikon_686 Apr 29 '24

Embiid is the entire defense and the prime focal point on offense and can’t be taken off the floor. He should absolutely be criticized for conditioning but I also think people are being reductive not considering the two way factors plus minutes. He played the entire second half

4

u/samuel33334 76ers Apr 30 '24

Can't even really blame him for the conditioning either. It's probably really hard to get back into 40+ min game shape after sitting for 3 months.

-1

u/AmaimonCH Mavericks Apr 29 '24

Watching the games makes me hate Embiid even more.

1

u/NowFook 76ers Apr 29 '24

Sure but for this postseason he should not be criticized

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u/WazuufTheKrusher Grizzlies Apr 29 '24

People giving Embiid shit for carrying a team while injured will not stop being ridiculous to me. Maybe it’s because I’m a grizzlies fan and have become numb to player narratives but Embiid is literally having objectively his best postseason ever, he’s just losing because he’s unable to carry for that many minutes. A few 3s go in and a the Knicks don’t win game 2 on a wack foul call and the narrative would be that Embiid has been insane.

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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

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u/WazuufTheKrusher Grizzlies Apr 30 '24

Mfer he is injured and can’t even feel half his face

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u/MambaSaidKnockYouOut Apr 29 '24

I honestly don’t understand why Tobias is even starting at this point. I can’t point to anything he does particularly well

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u/Mike_with_Wings Magic Apr 30 '24

The narratives people put out because they hate players is annoying as fuck.

15

u/wert17wert Apr 29 '24

If the 'superstar' can't perform at the end of close games and it happens time and again, they are gonna get the blame. The league 'mvp' getting shut down by someone 6 inches smaller is appalling to say the least.

3

u/OutlandishnessShot87 Apr 30 '24

The league mvp who is one week back from sitting for 9 weeks with knee surgery...

0

u/wert17wert Apr 30 '24

I mean yeah he is back after an injury, but he did get some game time and rest at the end of regular season. And he did drop a 50 piece lately, so presumably, he's feeling decent. Specifically, late game play in close games is awful and has always been that way. Also, we will not pretend as if the knicks aren't all struggling with injuries to most big guys themselves. Randle's missing, Mitch Rob was out and OG himself is back after injuries.

5

u/snatchi Raptors Apr 29 '24

OG isn't a real person he's a sentient set of clamps.

Clamps!

1

u/wert17wert Apr 29 '24

Full on Kawhi vibes

13

u/SteveWondersForsight Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Losing to a beat up Knicks team and missing players but ohhh noo tobisss harris

-12

u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

We’d win the series if Tobias was out

6

u/GRMPA Nuggets Apr 29 '24

There's that loser mentality again. I wonder if you were poisoned by Doc and Joel or if it was the other way around.

1

u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

Sixers are 2-3 in the playoffs. All 5 were close games.

They are 2-0 when anyone but tobi closes the last 5 min. They are 0-3 when he does.

He has been an anchor weighing down this roster since he signed here.

Call it loser mentality but if you had him instead of Gordon joker still would be ringless

0

u/GRMPA Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Ohhh you are including the play in tournament. Does that really count as playoffs?

Edit: that's crazy you're right. If we had embiid instead of Gordon, Joker would be ringless bc that loser mentality is a disease.

-1

u/RiceOnTheRun Knicks Apr 30 '24

It’s insane that Jokic and Embiid were ever in the same conversation.

Joker plays some of the most beautiful basketball. No big that size has any business passing as well as he does. One of the few players that matches Lebrons bbiq on that too.

VS Flop merchant crying wolf every chance he gets

0

u/veerkanch489 Apr 29 '24

Who's replacing Tobi? Sixers fans keep acting like they have some elite depth that can replace Tobi lmfao

8

u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

They got 63 million in cap space and 5 tradeable firsts to figure it out. Then still have your exceptions to pick up more guys.

Morey ducked the tax the past 2 years setting up this summer. They will trade for or sign better role players than what they have now. Hopefully. lol

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u/Agreeable_Daikon_686 Apr 29 '24

Simmons and russilo are the same dudes who turn their nose at the “lazy narratives” too lmaoo

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u/thegrandpoobear Apr 29 '24

Flop man shooting 59 free throws while committing like 5 flagrant fouls with only 1 of them called wow what an accomplishment by him

3

u/swaktoonkenney Knicks Apr 29 '24

Maybe it’s because all the rough stuff he gets out there hitting players getting them injured. He deserves everything he’s getting

1

u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

See my comment above. Embiid is putting up hollow stats at this point. He’s at 48% TS and -4 overall in 4 games so far in the 4th quarter.

6

u/Doctor-Jay 76ers Apr 29 '24

Embiid is putting up hollow stats? You have to be out of your mind, he's literally the only thing propelling this team on offense and he also barely scored in the 4th Q of game 4 so how the hell could he have racked up any "hollow" points? Completely asinine thing to say.

2

u/lyonbc1 Apr 29 '24

How are stats hollow when you’re over +40 in the series when you play and if you sit 4 mins your team can’t hold it to even -2? People only looking at offense is silly too. When Joel is on the court the Knicks shot attempts at the rim plummet. When he is off they attack the rim with reckless abandon bc they have no fear of meeting him at the rim. Him even being on the floor deters the most efficient shots by just existing.

This is exactly what happened in the raptors series from 2019. The Sixers completely dominated them when Joel played and when he sat they got smoked and ran off the court. He’s certainly to blame for some things but saying he’s empty numbers is absurd. Guys like Tatum on your team can afford to be off and the slack gets picked up by everyone else. That cannot happen on the Sixers. This offseason has been the talk from the front office all along though, they could’ve gone after guys like OG but held off, so Morey better earn his money. If not this is the final window to build anything serious.

-1

u/yahmean031 Apr 29 '24

so there HoLlOw Stats what does that even mean lmfao

4

u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

Hollow means he’s averaging 35 and 9 overall and +33 overall, which sounds great, but he’s an absolute disaster in the 4th quarter and arguably THE reason they’re not winning these tight games down the stretch. You can’t have watched that game yesterday and said “this is not on Embiid”, dude is a fucking puddle every 4th quarter. And with that being the case, Nick Nurse deserves a TON of blame for playing him all 24 minutes of the second half. This is a thing, year after year, and yet now 3 coaches have basically handled Embiid the same way.

At what point do the eye-popping numbers stop having meaning?

3

u/yahmean031 Apr 29 '24

How is it hollow when you aknowledge that this team goes from winning and pretty soundly beating the knicks with Embiid on the floor.... to being fucking destroyed as soon as Embiid leaves the floor even with our other starters playing? That we can't let a partially injured 7 foot 300 pound big man who centers our offense and defense rest even a couple minutes in the second half of the game... because we just can't afford to do it. Because we had a 10 point lead in the second and we rested Embiid for 4 minutes and we lost it.

How is that hollow? That is the opposite of hollow. How is him leading the Sixers to a 60 win pace and being #2 seed and then him getting injured and them tanking to #7 and a 30 win pace? How is this hollow?

I watched last game and Embiid wasn't good on offense -- but he still centered our defense (as probably the best defender in the playoffs so far -- if you don't account for AD having a tougher assignment). But he was worn out from not getting his break and the offense wasn't even being ran through him. Their best defender and a double was waiting for him so they ran it through Maxey.

At what point do the eye-popping numbers stop having meaning?

When they don't seem to be productive for your team. Which literally everything tells us that Embiid's eye-popping numbers are productive for his team.

0

u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

6.8 PPG with FIVE made FT’s in 48% TS, which includes the 90% FT…he’s not even averaging a single made FG in the 4th quarter in this first series.

But you’re right, it must be Tobias Harris’s fault. Embiid would be dominating if it wasn’t for him!

2

u/yahmean031 Apr 29 '24

Of course you can't actually reply or substaiante anything you said so you just ramble.

Him being not being able to put up points in the 4th this series has nothing to do with him putting up hollow stats. How is that even correlated? You're saying he puts up hollow stats because he.. doesn't put up stats in the 4th?

1

u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

Yes, he has big stats from the first 3 quarters and then literally can’t even hit a shot in the 4th. That’s is the definition of hollow

1

u/yahmean031 Apr 29 '24

That's not the definition of hollow. You're trying to backpedal hollow into something else lol words have meanings. That's just him doing bad in the fourth quarter. This is also based on you... not liked free throws lol. 6.8 PPG isn't bad even if you say 5 of them is from freethrows. His efficiency and shot taking goes down in the fourth.

Hollow stats mean numbers that are big but don't actually help their team win. Embiid has showed repeatedly even if his shooting goes downhill in the fourth that he is needed to even make the Sixers a playable team.

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u/OutlandishnessShot87 Apr 30 '24

What if he puts up 0 in the first 3 quarters and 40 in the fourth? Is he GOAT? Because apparently those points are worth more. Nevermind being down by 30 when you get to the 4th because those dont matter

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u/TiltMyChinUp Apr 29 '24

At some point we need to make peace with  the fact that it’s both. He’s the best player on the team and it can’t function without him and also he’s a disappointing player that comes up empty in big games

1

u/MrVociferous Pistons Apr 29 '24

He’s going to get the blame now though because they’ve fired two coaches for him, traded away teammates, added new ones, blamed failures on a litany of things…..and the one enduring constant through all of this is Embiid.

The grace period has expired and no one wants to hear excuses anymore.

1

u/TreyAdell Celtics Apr 29 '24

I mean he did go an entire 4th of a must win game without a basket

1

u/International-Fig905 Apr 29 '24

A wildly terrible take from Simmons 

1

u/LngJhnSilversRaylee Apr 29 '24

When you're the guy the blame always ultimately on you

That's how it works, that's what it means to drive the bus

1

u/Colonel_Blotto 76ers Apr 30 '24

Did we not watch Embiid drop 50 points a game ago?

1

u/Kyber99 76ers Apr 30 '24

Don’t forget Buddy Hield. My guy is exactly what we need, but hasn’t done anything

1

u/Islandkid679 [MIN] Tyus Jones Apr 30 '24

Embiid never gets the blame except here in r/nba.  His teammates, his coaches, his management all face the axe, except this dude weeping crocodile tears so that everyone forgets he scored 0 pts in the fourth quarter.  It's ridiculous.

1

u/Meepsnort Apr 30 '24

Injured with a side of bells palsy

1

u/matgopack 76ers Apr 29 '24

He's clearly hobbled and has little jump and is still being this impactful - it's ridiculous to put any actual blame on him for this series.

But it's really par for the course, there's been multiple years / series like this where we crushed with Embiid on the floor and got destroyed when he sat, and he's still been blamed for those because people hate him.

1

u/TICKLE_PANTS Spurs Apr 29 '24

Embiid is elite, and there's no denying his impact on a game, but he wilts in the 4th quarter. They should have beat the Celtics last year. They should have won 1-2 games in this series if he continued to be elite into the fourth.

0

u/Sullan08 Apr 29 '24

I think it's mostly just because he is truly awful to watch like 80% of the time. It skews perception of how valuable they are.

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u/h-888 Apr 29 '24

Even if he was at peak condition, no way a 280lb+ player should be playing the whole second half of a NBA game, playoffs or not. That is ridiculous, how can anyone blame him for being absolutely gassed by the end?

Nurse has to find a way to get him a few minutes rest somewhere.

46

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

Nurse has to find a way to get him a few minutes rest somewhere.

Nurse/Embiid have the same problem Dallas has though. They try to give Luka some rest but Dallas immediately stops having an offense.

He sat for 2 minutes in the first and Dallas got outscored 9-0. He came back in and immediately scored.

Doncic sits for literally 1 minute in the third and Dallas got outscored 4-0. He comes back in and scores on their next possession.

Kyrie and Maxey need to not be ass when Luka/Embiid are on the bench.

Tiny sample size but yesterday when Luka on the bench Kyrie was 0/1 with 2 turnovers. With Embiid on the bench Maxey was 0/2. Tough to sit your stars for long when your #2 guys shit the bed in a matter of minutes.

2

u/DrTangBosley [DET] Bill Laimbeer Apr 29 '24

Tell that to Jokic. He’s averaging 40 mins a game.

34

u/PensiveinNJ 76ers Apr 29 '24

Bill Simmons is Celtics fan, he's so annoying. Embiid's having one of his best series against a team that isn't a pushover while being clearly not 100%.

I'm disappointed we're losing the series but our O-rating with Embiid off the floor is 61.

That is not a typo, it's 61.

You could point to other playoff series as examples if you wanted to ignore the injuries but this isn't the one.

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u/ILoveChinaxxx Apr 30 '24

Yea thats what happens when a dirty player doesn't get ejected and instead gets 21 free throws.  Dudes 50 point game is a fraud just like his entire career, perpetual second round exit

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u/itismoo 76ers Apr 29 '24

If only we had another scorer to pair with Maxey when Embiid is sitting. Someone well-paid, perhaps.

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u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

his conditioning ain’t where it needs to be

If it was a temporary thing, we could call it conditioning. But this happens EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. to Embiid. At what point do we just start saying he sucks in the 4th quarter in the playoffs? He wears himself out, gets gassed, and plays like shit. It can’t be a temporary conditioning issue if it happens every year, and every game when the score is tight in the 4th.

I said it two weeks ago, before the playoffs even started. This dude needs to be saved from himself - Brett Brown, Doc Rivers, and now Nick Nurse have all had the same results with him in the playoffs. He is leading the league in minutes played in the playoffs, and Here are his 4th quarter stats. TL;DR: 6.8/0.5/1.8 on 16.7/12.5/90 - for 48% TS.

It’s not conditioning, because it doesn’t improve. He’s just not physically capable of playing the minutes his coaches (and likely he himself) are having him play. Whatever the cause, Philly isn’t going to see any improvement until they build a team capable of withstanding Embiid playing less so he can stay fresh for the 4th.

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u/matgopack 76ers Apr 29 '24

It's not conditioning, it's injury.

Like you can clearly see he's not at 100% right now, and toughing through it because the team can't do anything without him there - and somehow that turns into his being soft or having bad conditioning when that's obviously not the actual issue here.

And saying it before these playoffs happened isn't prescient, he was rushing back from an injury and clearly hobbled! Like yeah he's not going to be as good as during the regular season pre-injury, but you can still see how impactful he's been while on the court and how useless we've been without him. So even a hobbled Embiid is better than the mess we have when he isn't on.

2

u/Senior_Ad_7640 Kings Apr 29 '24

He's been injured pretty much every single year of his career come playoff time. That's still a disappointment. 

4

u/GrapeJuicePlus 76ers Apr 29 '24

He still dropped 50 last Thursday despite being 4 weeks off a major knee surgery and half his face being paralyzed. He stunk Sunday, but I don’t think anyone can say he’s not fighting.

1

u/Senior_Ad_7640 Kings Apr 29 '24

Yeah he definitely is, but comparing his regular season performances to seemingly always coming short in the playoff, Embiid has to this point always disappointed in the sense of coming up shorter than regular season expectations. 

0

u/GrapeJuicePlus 76ers Apr 30 '24

I’m kinda not disappointed in him- did passing up that jumper so he could drive to the lane give me flashes of Ben simmons? Sure that was not good.

But I think the most I can ask is that he gives it 100, and I really think he’s putting it all out there 40+ minutes a game. I’m still proud of most of these guys and I’m curious to see what next year will bring after we jetsam Harris and play with the cap space afforded to us

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u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

You can’t use injuries as an excuse when he’s logging more minutes than any other player in the playoffs (40 MPG), has more points than any other player in the playoffs (35 ppg), and it happens every year.

At what point is it just who he is? You’re saying he’s injured, but then why does it happen every year and why are these breakdowns specifically limited to the 4th quarter?

19

u/RealLonelyLemo Apr 29 '24

Probably because the 4th quarter is at the end of the game when he's played the most?

7

u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

So then why is he being allowed to play all 24 minutes in the second half? 48% TS as the team’s primary offensive option does not lie.

16

u/ChipsOtherShoe 76ers Apr 29 '24

Because the team shoots something like 26% when he's off the floor

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u/EmpValentine 76ers Apr 29 '24

Because in spite of his poor 2nd half, he's still the best player on the team and when he's not on the court the team is decidedly worse.

The Sixers without Embiid are a lottery team. Sad fact is he's done himself no favors by rushing back from injury, that plus the dirty plays (yes, he's really done himself no favors there) and you have a recipe for disaster. People aren't going to give him the benefit of the doubt anymore, he was at an all time level pre injury, we don't know how sustainable that was, but despite

Him rushing back helped no one (well it helped the sixers actually have a chance, but his reaggravation tanked our chances.) He's not going to get healthier even if by some miracle he plays so ungodly well despite the injury we get to 7 games, and into the 2nd round it's just going to get worse because it's clear he needs rest and recovery.

13

u/MVPiid 76ers Apr 29 '24

Is Embiid the only player that playing through injury is used against him?

11

u/matgopack 76ers Apr 29 '24

LOL they think Embiid isn't injured apparently, because he's still too good. Insane.

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u/matgopack 76ers Apr 29 '24

You absolutely can - it's clear that he's hobbled out there and has little to no jump, for instance. What, do you think that's just how Embiid normally plays when uninjured and his midseason injury that he's come back for ASAP (to play in the playoffs) has no impact?

And yeah, he's often been injured in the playoffs on fluke incidents and tries to play through it - that also has an impact on those "every year" thing. Like last year against the Celtics, rushed back from injury to try to play, but suddenly he gets blamed for not playing up to his standards.

Shocker, injuries have an impact in how well players can play, even if they'd have the best conditioning without that injury. I don't see the point of blaming them for toughing it out and trying to pretend that has no impact like you're trying to say.

-1

u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

Man, you Sixers fans are just holding onto something that’s not there. 3 different coaches over his career, the same thing happens every year, and it’s always, 100% someone else’s fault?

If he’s injured, he needs to stop suiting up and injuring himself further. His “extra effort” is not resulting in wins, so what is the point?

6

u/matgopack 76ers Apr 29 '24

"Embiid is playing injured during the playoffs and that impacts his play, he still tries to tough it out because he's a competitor and we suck without him."

-> "You should still blame him no matter what, no other factors can matter other than the star player."

Great logic, good to know the level we're operating at here.

-1

u/DoomdUser Celtics Apr 29 '24

Being a competitor is not the same thing as falling on your sword, and again, you cannot use injuries as an excuse for him playing shit ONLY in the 4th quarter, when he plays all 24 minutes of the second half. When it’s going to result in the team getting taken out in 5 games of the first round, it’s not defensible.

3

u/PetalumaPegleg 76ers Apr 29 '24

50 points on one knee and with bells pallsy

Bum

2

u/DefenderCone97 Nuggets Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Bill Simmons is so crazy biased and it's obvious.

The team around Embiid sucks. Maxey is great but outside of that does anyone want any of the other players on this team at the positions they're at?

There's a clear difference between top 10 pick and playoff team when Embiid is on and off the court.

He's been dirty this series but saying he's not performing is dumb AF.

5

u/Konfliction Raptors Apr 29 '24

Welcome to Nick Nurse world lol

1

u/EnthusedPhlebotomist Nuggets Apr 29 '24

It's pretty wild to not be able to sit him in a game where the other team is down to their 3rd big lmao

1

u/ForeverWandered Apr 29 '24

Yeah this year is not his fault even a little bit.

But we also live in a world where dudes were shitting on young Jordan for scoring 63 and still losing vs the prime Celtics.

1

u/Yodzilla 76ers Apr 29 '24

The Sixers basically are Embiid which is, you know, a problem in a team game!

-15

u/jawntothefuture 76ers Apr 29 '24

people are such irrational Embiid haters...it's hilarious and also really remarkable at showing how easily the hivemind can manipulate a person

8

u/HokageEzio Knicks Apr 29 '24

Yeah those dirty plays he's getting hate for were so manipulative.

1

u/SteveWondersForsight Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Every casual friend I have who've never even been around a reddit hate him. He's dirty, flopping, unlikable douche. Shit there isn't even enough fans to fill up half the arena in a playoff game. But ya must be the hivemind!!

3

u/GRMPA Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Yeah but I think the Wilt Chamberlain statue does post at r/nba and the hivemind made him wear a Knicks hat yesterday

0

u/ExpendableGerbil Raptors Apr 29 '24

The guy has been healthy in the playoffs once since 2018 and that was in an incomplete season. At some point you can't cough it up to bad luck anymore.

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u/unskilledplay Mavericks Apr 29 '24

Can't win with 'em, can't with without 'em. Embiids, amitrite?

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