Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid continued where he left off in a very competitive All-Star Game, asserting himself as one of the best players on the floor but admittedly taking it a step further in the Sixers' 112-104 overtime win against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.
Embiid made a rather bold proclamation after the comeback victory:
“In the All-Star Game just proving that I belong, I’m here, just being the best player in the world,” said Embiid, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I just intend to keep coming out every single night and just play hard and try to get wins, and go out and try to win a championship.”
Many were encouraged to see Embiid assert his dominance as a load in the low post, even hitting LeBron James with one of his Hakeem Olajuwon-borrowed moves down the stretch of the All-Star Game.
The hope is that Embiid can keep being this assertive the rest of the way and spearhead the Sixers to a better seed in the East and unlock that style of play in the postseason.
His 39 points and 16 rebounds were plenty dominant against a Nets team that had no answer for him down low. Embiid coupled that with two assists, two steals, and two blocks to show his all-around game, all while beating up DeAndre Jordan for six offensive rebounds in the game.
The Sixers have now won their last four games and are slowly climbing the ladder up the standings, now only a half-game behind the fourth-place Miami Heat, who dropped a tad after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.
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