BOSTON — The Philadelphia 76ers are one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals. They completely owned the Boston Celtics in Game 5, leading by double digits for the whole second half. Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey dominated and James Harden had a very solid showing in the Sixers' biggest game in decades.

With his 33 points and four blocks, Joel Embiid led the Sixers to their first-ever road Game 5 win in a tied series in franchise history. Philly has never led 3-2 in a second-round series in the Embiid era and can close out its hated rival at home in Thursday's Game 6. What does Embiid think about that?

“I honestly don't care. We still gotta get one more win. That's all I'm thinking about right now,” Embiid said. “And then obviously, you go home, so you're going to have a lot of energy in the crowd. And we imagine everybody plays better at home, too. I do play batter at home. What we did tonight is easier said than done but gotta do it again. I'm excited for it.”

After winning Games 1 and 4 by the skins of their teeth, the Sixers seemed to need a Harden masterpiece to keep up with the Celtics. While Harden wasn't bad in this one, he also didn't come close to dropping 40 points. What he did drop was dimes to Embiid in the midrange to help open up the Sixers' offense. Maxey played a big part with 30 points and 6-12 shooting from deep.

Coming into the hostile environment of Game 5, Embiid took on the mindset of doing whatever it took. Although he wasn't super efficient scoring inside the arc, his play reflected that mentality, especially on one key sequence in the fourth quarter. With Jaylen Brown in the fast break after he committed a turnover, Embiid raced down the court and blocked Brown's layup attempt. He then came right down and drew a shooting foul.

“We all understand that for us to win, I have to be aggressive. But that doesn't mean shooting shot,” Embiid said. “It means attacking, creating for others, involving my teammates.”

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Embiid had always been one of the Sixers' leaders. But since the very beginning of the season, in training camp down in Charleston, SC, he has taken a leap in his leadership. Maxey explained after the Game 5 win how he gets the team going by doing more than just nailing jumpers and blocking shots.

“When your best player is adamant about winning and he's on his teammates and he's calling the teammates out and he's [leading] by example, you have to raise your level of intensity,” the Sixers guard said. “If your best player is working his tail off and being aggressive and going out there and performing every single night, you have to fall in line. I think this team, we know that and we have done that pretty well.”

The Sixers have spent two decades watching the conference semifinals from the couch. The chance to change that in front of their home crowd is setting up to be an iconic moment. But, of course, it will be anything but easy to beat a talented Boston squad. Joel Embiid is staying locked in to lead the charge and finish the job against the Celtics.