Joel Embiid is the only 76er worth trusting with Philadelphia's back against the wall

I play successful a hoops league, and our title crippled is tonight. Like astir men’s hoops leagues aliases recreational leagues, nan playoffs are not a series. They are 1 game, do-or-die situations. The NBA doesn’t person that (no awesome athletics does extracurricular of football), but it does springiness america a chance to spot who nan genuinely amended squad is — not conscionable a perchance luckier team. We whitethorn get an reply coming if nan Celtics aliases 76ers are nan amended squad successful Game 6 of this series.

Philadelphia 76ers halfway Joel Embiid drives against Atlanta Hawks guardant Onyeka Okongwu successful nan 3rd 4th astatine Xfinity Mobile Arena successful Philadelphia, Pa., connected Nov. 30, 2025. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)

The Celtics turned successful a awesome capacity this season, contempt a batch of questions surrounding nan team. Two years removed from winning nan NBA Championship, nan squad mislaid Jayson Tatum to injury. They traded distant Jrue Holiday, a feline who provided seasoned leadership, coagulated extracurricular shooting, and fantabulous defense. Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t portion of nan title team, but he was a large logic they were expected to repeat. Without him, nan Celtics were down 60% of their starting lineup coming into this year.

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They ended up pinch nan 2nd seed and a 56-26 grounds down Jaylen Brown and a restructuring of nan bench. In nan first 4 games of nan series, Boston looked great. They dropped 1 crippled because VJ Edgecombe took complete and looked ascendant for Philadelphia. Outside of that game, Boston was great… until Tuesday, erstwhile they were dominated connected some sides of nan ball. In their 2 losses, they only scored 97 points. To make matters worse, they allowed 111 aliases more.

Jayson Tatum of nan Boston Celtics celebrates aft scoring against nan Dallas Mavericks during nan 2nd 4th astatine TD Garden successful Boston, Mass., connected March 6, 2026. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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The Philadelphia 76ers person to beryllium 1 of nan astir frustrating teams successful nan full league. If you’re a fan, you person to conscionable believe that nan squad will find a measurement to beryllium healthy. Joel Embiid mightiness beryllium nan astir unreliable superstar successful nan sport. The worst portion is that you aren’t going to find personification to switch Embiid’s accumulation if he is healthy. So, nan 76ers are fundamentally hamstrung by his health. They person surrounded him pinch talent, but they haven’t recovered a operation that would get them moreover to nan NBA Finals.

They still person a spot and a chair coming arsenic they request to triumph nan adjacent 2 games. In 2 of their losses, they were utterly dominated. The Celtics won 2 of nan games by 30-plus points. In nan 76ers' 2 wins, they won by complete 14 points. So, location has only been 1 adjacent crippled betwixt nan 2 squads. Game 3 saw nan 76ers suffer 108-100, but it was nan lone crippled of nan bid not decided by double digits.

Philadelphia 76ers guardant Paul George talks pinch guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe during a break successful nan 3rd 4th against nan Orlando Magic successful nan play-in information of nan 2026 NBA playoffs astatine Xfinity Mobile Arena successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, connected April 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

In tonight’s matchup, nan 76ers person already vowed to springiness a amended capacity than they did nan past clip they played successful beforehand of nan Philly faithful. In Game 4, nan past clip they were successful Philadelphia, they mislaid nan crippled by 32 points. They didn’t moreover triumph a azygous quarter. Tatum, Brown and Payton Pritchard mixed to people 82 points, conscionable 14 less than nan 76ers arsenic a team. Embiid should beryllium backmost for this one, and that makes a awesome quality for nan 76ers. It makes this a overmuch much moreover series. He was awesome successful Game 5, and I expect him to beryllium coagulated tonight.

It takes a while to get backmost into playing shape, but Embiid should beryllium location now that this will beryllium his 3rd game. This is nan awesome mismatch that nan 76ers have, and I expect them to utilization it. I for illustration nan thought of taking nan 76ers astatine +5.5, but they consistently beryllium to fto group down. I’ll return Embiid complete 27.5 points. He had 26 successful his return and 33 nan different night. I’d expect 30 coming arsenic well.

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