The Sixers shipped up to Boston and came away with a crucial win in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Joel Embiid had 33 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, and was a game-high +21 in 37 minutes of domination to give Philadelphia a 3-2 series lead.
Embiid was presented with the NBA MVP trophy on Friday and reminded everyone why he deserved that accolade in the Game 5 win.
Kyle Neubeck of the Audacy Original Podcast “Clap Your Hands” explained how Game 5 showed why Embiid was deserving of the MVP award after near-misses in past years.
“I think one of the biggest things that people should pay attention to in this series is not even necessarily Joel’s blocked shots, it’s the shots that Boston won’t take or the bad shots that they do take because he’s there,” Neubeck said (22:14 in player above). “Every single one of these guys has gotten to the paint at one point, thought they had a good shot, saw Joel, and either got rid of the ball, stopped dead in their tracks, or took a ridiculous off-balance shot that had no chance of going in.”
Embiid averaged 1.7 blocks per game in the regular season and is up to 2.9 blocks per game in the playoffs, including four or more blocks in Games 2, 3, and 5 against the Celtics.
The 7-foot center has long prided himself on his defense and it’s showing up in a big way in the postseason, even when he doesn’t block a shot.
“The important thing to note is just that him just being out there on the floor – he could be 7-for-25 from the field, he could be having an awful offensive game – the second that he’s in the game and near the paint on defense the whole court changes for Boston in where they can get to, what they can do offensively is distorted because of this guy,” Neubeck continued.
“We’ve had this conversation as it relates to MVP. It’s why when you’re looking at who the most valuable guy in the league is you have to take into consideration that he can alter a game and alter an entire series where he’s not even playing his best ball on offense because he is a destructive force at the rim on defense. You saw that big-time in Game 5.”
Embiid and the Sixers have a chance to close out the series in Game 6 in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
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