April 21, 2024
Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports
Joel Embiid needed a minute on the floor before being helped to his feet and gingerly walking to the locker room late in the first half of Saturday evening's Game 1 of the first-round playoff series between the Sixers and New York Knicks. But suddenly he emerged from the locker room, ready for the second half, in a stunning turn of events.
With two minutes and 49 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Game 1 of the Sixers-Knicks first-round playoff series, it felt like the world had stopped. Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who just 18 days earlier returned from an absence that lasted longer than two months due to a meniscus injury in his left knee, threw down a vicious dunk off a self-assisted alley-oop pass off the backboard. It was an epic play, equally impressive for its physical feat as it was for the creativity and quick thinking that went behind it.
But Embiid landed awkwardly, grabbed that very same left knee in pain and fell to the floor. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse called a timeout as soon as he could, but in that moment, as the entire Sixers roster surrounded their superstar center while he remained on the ground, it felt as if months of hope, preparation and anticipation had been wasted in the blink of an eye.
JOEL EMBIID OMG
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 20, 2024
Hope he’s okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/nbQCbQWml1
While the Sixers' fourth-quarter execution was subpar -- the Knicks outscored them 32-22 over the game's final 12 minutes -- it was the team's putrid second quarter performance that truly sunk them in this game. They allowed 33 Knicks points in the period while only posting a dozen points themselves. But all of the Knicks' made threes and the Sixers' missed looks during that time paled in comparison in terms of damage to Embiid's dunk, one that actually accounted for two of the team's 12 points in the quarter, because of the immediate devastation that was felt.
"It's tough seeing your brother go down," Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, who led all scorers Saturday evening with 33 points, said after the game. "You feel for him, pray for him and hope he's okay."
Since Embiid initially went down in a road game against the Golden State Warriors, the Sixers have been trying to figure out how to best optimize their ability to win should he make a return while hopefully getting by during his absence. The team went just 12-18 in the 30 games between Embiid's injury on Jan. 30 and eventual return on April 2, ultimately forcing them into the Play-In Tournament -- which they escaped with a part-horrifying, part-thrilling win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
Despite all of that, through the loads of adversity the persistent viewpoint was as follows: as long as Embiid was healthy, anything was possible.
During halftime of NBA games, arenas have a 15-minute running clock that starts at the end of the second quarter and ends when it is time for the players to take the floor and open the second half. Typically, players return to the court with four or five minutes left to get shots up before the resumption of play.
Every available Sixer not named Embiid was on the court preparing for the second half to get underway. Embiid's backup, Paul Reed, removed his warmups and took the floor, ready to start the third quarter in Embiid's place. But suddenly, with 30 seconds left on that 15-minute timer, Embiid emerged from the locker room like nothing had happened, casually made his way to the floor, and seconds later was back in the midst of intense playoff basketball.
"We got back to the locker room, and he said he was going to give it a try," Maxey said. "So hats off to him for his determination and his will to win... Nothing with Joel surprises me now."
According to Nurse, the team's medical staff evaluated Embiid during the final moments of the first half and halftime, ultimately seeing enough movement ability from the recently- and often-injured superstar to feel comfortable (enough) sending him back out there.
"He's really a warrior," Nurse said.
Embiid's toughness, perseverance and desire to win should be commended, and Saturday evening's events reaffirm that. But there is no doubt that the injury severely impacted his ability to be the best version of himself. While credit is owed to the Knicks, particularly center Mitchell Robinson, for honing in on Embiid in the second half, his decline in production could not be explained by any single strategic decision.
Embiid scored the Sixers' first nine points of the game, setting the tone in a way he had failed to do against Miami. His emphatic but costly dunk increased his points total to 18 on 6-11 shooting in just over 16 minutes of play -- his final numbers entering intermission.
In the second half, Embiid's effort was there, but the results were not: Embiid made just two of his 12 field goal attempts in the second half. He made one three-pointer, one two-pointer and six free throws after returning from the injury scare, posting just 11 points in more than 20 second-half minutes.
The playoff version of Embiid is an interesting character, because the picture that is painted depends on who you talk to. Most will depict Embiid as an underachiever, a perennial loser, even a choke artist.
But to some, Playoff Joel is a mythical figure of sorts who has not yet been seen. It is a version not unlike the player who has dominated regular season basketball unlike any other NBA player for two years: an unstoppable three-level scorer who, when he needs to be, can be as effective of a defensive player as there is in basketball.
There is no question that Embiid has the natural ability required to be the best player on a championship team. Before the injuries piled up Embiid was on pace to win the NBA's scoring title for the third consecutive season while remaining a defensive force. None of that happens by accident.
But for many reasons, he has failed to become the best version of himself in the most meaningful games in the way that the most decorated basketball legends have. Like it or not, one of the first reasons is that he has dealt with injuries during so many playoff runs. After his knee injury flared up during an April 12 home game against the Orlando Magic that ended up being Embiid's final regular season game of the season and he looked like a shell of himself for much of Wednesday night's Play-In Tournament game, even before his thunderous-dunk-turned-disastrous-injury there was skepticism about Embiid's physical condition entering the playoffs.
Only time will tell how Embiid's left knee is going to look or feel in light of its latest episode. But the Sixers' pursuit of a championship feels much more perilous now than it would have had the Sixers simply dropped Game 1 in New York under "normal" circumstances, free of scares. How Embiid's knee reacts to this fall -- and how Embiid himself responds to whatever that reaction is -- will determine the Sixers' ultimate fate: true championship contender, or first-round exit?
