PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The previous 12 months of Philadelphia sports activities has been full of memorable moments.
Phillies famous person Bryce Harper had the swing of his life that despatched the Phillies to the World Sequence.
Jalen Hurts emerged because the Eagles’ franchise quarterback, performed almost good in Tremendous Bowl LVII and got here so, so near defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
Whatever the losses suffered within the World Sequence by the Phillies or Tremendous Bowl by the Eagles, followers will cherish these runs endlessly. They do not come round fairly often.
Now, months later, the hometown basketball staff is coming into the highlight.
The Sixers will open the primary spherical of the NBA Playoffs vs. the Brooklyn Nets Saturday in an important postseason of Joel Embiid’s profession.
In a 12 months the place Harper and Hurts supplied followers with unforgettable performs on the best way to their respective championships, may this upcoming NBA playoffs be Embiid’s Philadelphia sports activities second on the best way to the Jap Convention Finals or NBA Finals?
And this is not to say Embiid hasn’t been efficient within the playoffs. Throughout his tenure in Philadelphia, he is by far been the staff’s finest participant they usually’ve traditionally crumbled into items when he leaves the court docket.
If there’s going to be any 12 months the place Embiid, the seemingly NBA MVP, takes the following step within the playoffs, it is this season.
Embiid, who received the scoring title for the second straight season by averaging 33.1 factors per recreation, is coming off his most effective and finest common season of his profession by mastering the mid-range jumper.
There’s instances the place Embiid appears to be like like Kobe Bryant in his fadeaway game-winner vs. the Portland Path Blazers in March, or when he resembles Dirk Nowitzki’s one-legged fadeaway jumper. Or when he appears to be like like a mixture of Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal along with his footwork and energy on the block.
We have seen Embiid have unbelievable playoff moments in a Sixers uniform.
The sport-winner vs. the Toronto Raptors in extra time of Sport 3 final 12 months and the “airplane” celebration additionally towards the Raptors when he put up 33-10 in a large Sixers win in 2019 come to thoughts. It is also value nothing he is performed loads of these playoff video games coping with or coming off accidents.
Embiid has been an excellent participant for the Sixers within the playoffs, but it hasn’t translated into deep postseason runs.
The Sixers have not been in a position to get previous the second spherical of the playoffs within the Embiid period. They blew it towards the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 after going up 2-1 within the sequence. Additionally they have not made it to the Jap Convention Finals since Allen Iverson received MVP and led the staff to The Finals in 2001.
Iverson performed like a person possessed throughout that run. He averaged 32.9 factors per recreation in the course of the 2001 playoffs, together with six video games the place scored greater than 40 factors.
Like Iverson, Harper went into a special mode throughout Crimson October for the Phillies. Hurts performed like an MVP all 12 months, bounced again from his shoulder harm and led the Birds to the Tremendous Bowl. Embiid has to comply with go well with. Similar to he has all season, he must play just like the MVP.
If not, main modifications might be coming to the Sixers following the playoffs.
