Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers looked poised to barge into the Eastern Conference Finals after establishing a 3-2 series lead in their second-round meeting with the Boston Celtics. Instead, the Sixers flamed out in Games 6 and 7 and are now left with several questions to deal with in the offseason.

Making the meltdown against the Celtics even more bitter to the taste of Joel Embiid is the fact that to this day, he's the only NBA Most Valuable Player winner to still not see daylight past the second round of the playoffs.

In the second round versus the Celtics, Joel Embiid averaged 25.5 points but shot just 42.1 percent from the floor, 9.0 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. His performance, particularly on offense, was a big letdown for the Sixers, who knew they had to get an MVP-esque showing from the actual reigning MVP to get rid of the talented Celtics. Embiid struggled to be consistent against the Celtics. In Game 7, Embiid scored just 15 points on a salty 5-for-18 shooting from the floor. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey each had more points on Sunday than Embiid.

The early exit of the Sixers from the NBA Playoffs and the manner in which they succumbed at the hands of Jayson Tatum and company will be hot talking points in the league for days and weeks to come. In any case, Joel Embiid will have an entire offseason to get better and keep the hope alive that the Sixers will finally get over the hump next season.