Trying not to look too far down the road, NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who powered the 76ers to a Game 5 win over the Celtics that gave Philadelphia a 3-2 series lead, said after the victory that « we still got to get one more, and that’s all I’m thinking about. »
BOSTON — Throughout his career, Joel Embiid has never been in the position he found himself in Tuesday night: a win away from advancing past the Boston Celtics — and to the Eastern Conference finals — for the first time in his career.
But when asked how he felt about being in that position after scoring 33 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocked shots in Philadelphia’s 115-103 win over Boston in Game 5 of this Eastern Conference semifinal series here at TD Garden, the NBA’s newly minted Most Valuable Player wasn’t interested in discussing it.
« I honestly don’t care, » Embiid said. « We still got to get one more, and that’s all I’m thinking about right now. And then, obviously, you’re going home, so you’ll have a lot of energy in the crowd, and I imagine everybody plays better at home, too. I do play better at home.
« What we did tonight … it’s easier said than done, but we’ve got to do it again, and I’m excited for it. »
The 76ers made going on the road and winning for the second time in this series look — by playoff standards, relatively easy. Philadelphia shot 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, took care of the ball (before a series of mindless turnovers in the dying minutes of the game) and saw its stars — Embiid, James Harden (17 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists) control the game.
That, coupled with a 30-point explosion from Tyrese Maxey and limiting the Celtics to 39.8% shooting overall and 12-for-38 (31.6%) from 3-point range, was enough for the 76ers to grab control of the game in the first quarter and never relinquish the lead.
