Joel Embiid is the only 76er worth trusting with Philadelphia's back against the wall

I play successful a hoops league, and our title crippled is tonight. Like astir men’s hoops leagues oregon recreational leagues, the playoffs are not a series. They are 1 game, do-or-die situations. The NBA doesn’t person that (no large athletics does extracurricular of football), but it does springiness america a accidental to spot who the genuinely amended squad is — not conscionable a perchance luckier team. We whitethorn get an reply contiguous if the Celtics oregon 76ers are the amended squad successful Game 6 of this series.

Philadelphia 76ers halfway Joel Embiid drives against Atlanta Hawks guardant Onyeka Okongwu successful the 3rd 4th astatine Xfinity Mobile Arena successful Philadelphia, Pa., connected Nov. 30, 2025. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)

The Celtics turned successful a large show this season, contempt a batch of questions surrounding the team. Two years removed from winning the NBA Championship, the squad mislaid Jayson Tatum to injury. They traded distant Jrue Holiday, a feline who provided seasoned leadership, coagulated extracurricular shooting, and fantabulous defense. Kristaps Porzingis wasn’t portion of the title team, but helium was a large crushed they were expected to repeat. Without him, the Celtics were down 60% of their starting lineup coming into this year.

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They ended up with the 2nd effect and a 56-26 grounds down Jaylen Brown and a restructuring of the bench. In the archetypal 4 games of the series, Boston looked great. They dropped 1 crippled due to the fact that VJ Edgecombe took implicit and looked ascendant for Philadelphia. Outside of that game, Boston was great… until Tuesday, erstwhile they were dominated connected some sides of the ball. In their 2 losses, they lone scored 97 points. To marque matters worse, they allowed 111 oregon more.

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics celebrates aft scoring against the Dallas Mavericks during the 2nd 4th astatine TD Garden successful Boston, Mass., connected March 6, 2026. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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The Philadelphia 76ers person to beryllium 1 of the astir frustrating teams successful the full league. If you’re a fan, you person to conscionable commune that the squad volition find a mode to beryllium healthy. Joel Embiid mightiness beryllium the astir unreliable superstar successful the sport. The worst portion is that you aren’t going to find idiosyncratic to regenerate Embiid’s accumulation if helium is healthy. So, the 76ers are fundamentally hamstrung by his health. They person surrounded him with talent, but they haven’t recovered a operation that would get them adjacent to the NBA Finals.

They inactive person a spot and a seat contiguous arsenic they request to triumph the adjacent 2 games. In 2 of their losses, they were utterly dominated. The Celtics won 2 of the games by 30-plus points. In the 76ers' 2 wins, they won by implicit 14 points. So, determination has lone been 1 adjacent crippled betwixt the 2 squads. Game 3 saw the 76ers suffer 108-100, but it was the lone crippled of the bid not decided by treble digits.

Philadelphia 76ers guardant Paul George talks with guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe during a interruption successful the 3rd 4th against the Orlando Magic successful the play-in circular of the 2026 NBA playoffs astatine Xfinity Mobile Arena successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, connected April 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

In tonight’s matchup, the 76ers person already vowed to springiness a amended show than they did the past clip they played successful beforehand of the Philly faithful. In Game 4, the past clip they were successful Philadelphia, they mislaid the crippled by 32 points. They didn’t adjacent triumph a azygous quarter. Tatum, Brown and Payton Pritchard combined to people 82 points, conscionable 14 less than the 76ers arsenic a team. Embiid should beryllium backmost for this one, and that makes a large quality for the 76ers. It makes this a overmuch much adjacent series. He was large successful Game 5, and I expect him to beryllium coagulated tonight.

It takes a portion to get backmost into playing shape, but Embiid should beryllium determination present that this volition beryllium his 3rd game. This is the large mismatch that the 76ers have, and I expect them to exploit it. I similar the thought of taking the 76ers astatine +5.5, but they consistently beryllium to fto radical down. I’ll instrumentality Embiid implicit 27.5 points. He had 26 successful his instrumentality and 33 the different night. I’d expect 30 contiguous arsenic well.

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