Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid hasn't forgotten the pain he felt when the Atlanta Hawks shocked them in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season and he made sure to use that motivation on Friday night. It wasn't pretty, but the Sixers pulled out a 98-96 victory thanks to a game-winning shot from the big man.
This is what Embiid had to say after the game as the Sixers beat the Hawks for the second-straight time this season. Via Rich Hofmann of The Athletic:
“I'm still pissed off about what happened last year. [To win] means a lot to me… In our situation, we got about $400 million worth of contracts not playing. Any time you can get a win undermanned, missing 2 or 3 players, it's great confidence for our guys.”
Joel Embiid: “I'm still pissed off about what happened last year. [To win] means a lot to me… In our situation, we got about $400 million worth of contracts not playing. Any time you can get a win undermanned, missing 2 or 3 players, it's great confidence for our guys.” pic.twitter.com/LmuraqwMvc
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) December 4, 2021
Tobias Harris was out with illness, while Ben Simmons remains sidelined due to his mental health and desire to be traded away from the Sixers. Nevertheless, Philly got it done, outscoring Atlanta 20-9 in the final quarter.
As we know, Simmons' collapse in the postseason was one of the main reasons Philadelphia lost that series, but nevertheless, the anger Embiid felt hasn't wavered. He still has a desire to beat Trae Young and Co. every single time. The Cameroonian had a big night himself, dropping 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
The Sixers may be only 12-11 on the year, but they're still managing to grind out wins without key players.
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