The Philadelphia 76ers rolled to a convincing win against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night to secure a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Sixers big man Joel Embiid meanwhile had another big game, collecting 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
The Cameroonian opened up post-game about playing through a partially torn meniscus, per ESPN's Malika Andrews:
After the Sixers dominant performance last night, Joel Embiid on playing through his partially torn meniscus: “Even if I’m playing injured, I still got to do my job. That’s why they pay me. I want to win a championship.” More: pic.twitter.com/oCcTqmNttw
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 12, 2021
Embiid and the Sixers are chasing a title. It's no secret. The fact that he's playing through such a daunting injury speaks to the character and toughness of the Philly star. At this point, they can't afford to be without their big man and he's clearly aware of that. Pain or not, the former Kansas standout is going to play through any setbacks in order to reach the ultimate goal.
Embiid came up hobbling at one point in Game 3 after awkwardly landing on that knee, which oddly resulted in the Hawks fans cheering with the hope that he was hurt. Nevertheless, he showed out and quickly silenced them with another big performance.
Although Embiid isn't at full strength, he's still playing at the level needed to potentially make a run to the finals. However, the Sixers will also need Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris to be firing on all cylinders in order to reach the promised land.
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