Joel Embiid put on a special performance on Thursday night, resulting in the biggest Sixers' win in 18 years.
Related: Joel Embiid, Sixers dominate in huge win over Raptors
Embiid finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks, but also brought the "theaterics," as he called it. Since the 2009, only two players have had least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a playoff game—Embiid and Kevin Durant.
During the broadcast, former Warriors head coach and NBA point guard Mark Jackson said Embiid should finish his career among the best big men in NBA history.
"It would be a crime if he left the game and wasn't in the discussion as one of the best big men of all time." - Mark Jackson pic.twitter.com/hTw1Z0eySl
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) May 3, 2019Jeff Van Gundy disagreed and lost his mind.
Mark Jackson suggests Joel Embiid could be an all-time great, JVG loses his mind: pic.twitter.com/mv8zdhoWbZ
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) May 3, 2019Jackson shot back, "The evidence is in front of us, barring injury."
Some of the "theaterics" Embiid is talking about is his windmill dunk in the fourth quarter and his And-1 finger pointing move.
EMBIID GOES WINDMILL ✈️ pic.twitter.com/lCNY73eFCJ
— ESPN (@espn) May 3, 2019"I think for everybody that knows me, I need it," Embiid said after the game his emotional moments. "When I have fun, my game just changes. I'm always told that if I don't smile during the game, I'm either having a bad game or I'm not into it. So I know that to get my game going I got to have fun on the court. At the same time, I got to make plays. But that part of the theatrics, it has to happen for me."
The Sixers now lead a playoff series deeper than the first-round for the first time since 2001. Game 4 is Sunday at 3:30pm.
