The Philadelphia 76ers couldn't catch a break. After missing Danny Green for the rest of their second round series against the Atlanta Hawks due to a calf injury, it's clear that main man Joel Embiid isn't at full strength.
Due to a lingering knee injury, Embiid limped off to only 17 points on an atrocious 4-of-20 shooting against the Hawks in Game 4 on Monday. While he did have 21 rebounds, he struggled all game after briefly exiting in the second quarter to get medical attention.
After the game, Embiid, who's had a long history of serious injuries, didn't exactly express confidence in his grim situation (via ESPN).
“Even before I went back to the locker room I felt like I didn't have it. I guess it's already known. There's no need to explain myself anymore. I'm just trying to do the best I can.”
Embiid's dejected-sounding remarks are a bit jarring, considering he's always been brash and bold. But perhaps, the MVP candidate just wants to be more pragmatic and temper fans' expectations. One good thing going for him is that they'll head back home for Game 5. He can recuperate more comfortably and get a huge boost mentally from Sixers fans.
You don't need to be Bill Gates to figure out that the Sixers can't win without Embiid. That's just the cold hard truth.
Joel Embiid tried to win it for the Sixers in Game 4 but missed two crucial shots in the closing minutes. But it just wasn't his night. Judging his postgame thoughts, fans can only cross their fingers and hope for the best.
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