The Philadelphia 76ers had seemed to gain firm control of their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Toronto Raptors following a 116-95 win in Game 3 that saw Joel Embiid break out of his series slump to score 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five blocks.
But things were not quite as they appeared. The Raptors evened the series in Game 4 behind another sensational performance from Kawhi Leonard, and in the postgame Embiid told reporters he had been battling illness and a lack of sleep.
The fatigue showed in Game 5, as Embiid recorded a game-high eight turnovers and looked out of sorts all night, while the Raptors' supporting cast finally arose from a long and restless slumber of their own.
During a segment on NBA TV, former Detroit Pistons legend and Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas lamented Embiid's decision to make his sickness public:
.@IsiahThomas shares his thoughts on Embiid's sickness throughout the playoffs.#GameTime pic.twitter.com/ESMqJhDjhB
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 8, 2019
Thomas is no stranger to playing through maladies, having produced one of the best moments in playoff history when he scored 25 points in the third quarter of Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals after brutally spraining his ankle earlier in the game.
Other players like Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki have put together inspiring playoff performances in the wake of illness, but Embiid hardly had the same effect on Tuesday night in Toronto.
While his defensive prowess and presence in the paint has made him the Sixers' most valuable player, he simply has not found his offensive game.
Embiid is shooting below 40 percent and averaging just 17 points per game for the series, and he will need to show up on the offensive end in Game 6 if he hopes to prolong Philadelphia's season.
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