Joel Embiid’s great night came with a caveat, according to Jaylen Brown.
The Philadelphia 76ers completed a historic comeback Saturday with a Game 7 win over the Boston Celtics. Embiid played a starring role in the proceedings, with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 turnover.
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Brown had a productive game as well, posting 33 points and 9 assists. He then had something to say while speaking with reporters postgame:
“Embiid put a lot of pressure on us, on all of our bigs and our guards. We didn’t really have an answer for him. We tried a bunch of different things. He’s a big body. He also was flopping around. He got some extra calls, and they rewarded him for that, but that’s the league we’re in.”
Not too hard to decipher that message, though it’s worth noting that Embiid and Brown did share a friendly embrace on the court after the game.
Obviously, Embiid has a well-earned reputation for drawing fouls. And on Saturday, he was 9-for-11 from the free-throw line, which are more attempts than the entire Celtics starting lineup earned.
That wasn’t the main reason the Celtics lost, though. If you want one factor that could have turned this game into a Celtics blowout, look no further than their 13-for-49 performance from the 3-point line (26.5%). Brown himself was 3-for-9.
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We could also talk about the Celtics missing 10 straight baskets in the final five minutes, or Derrick White going from a standout first half to a disappearing act in the second half. Jayson Tatum’s absence also loomed large after the star was surprisingly ruled out for the game with knee stiffness.
Anyway, we now go to Embiid himself for a rebuttal.
It was a painful loss for the Celtics, who had never blown a 3-1 lead in franchise history before Saturday. And it was a demanding season for Brown in general, picking up much of the load left by Tatum as he recovered from a torn Achilles.
The Sixers now advance to face the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.