The Philadelphia 76ers kick off their second-round series with the Boston Celtics on Monday. As of now, the Sixers are sizable underdogs — in part due to the uncertainty around Joel Embiid and his injured knee.
Embiid sprained his knee in Game 3 of the Sixers’ first round series versus Brooklyn. It was later described as an “LCL sprain,” with Doc Rivers labeling the odds of Embiid being ready for the start of the Celtics series as “50/50.”
Now, the sky darkens. It appears as though Doc Rivers’ initial estimate may have been too optimistic. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Embiid’s LCL sprain is considered “more series” than Grade 1.
76ers could be without Joel Embiid to start Celtics series
It’s deja vu of the most painful variety. The Sixers fanbase is all too familiar with these exact circumstances: a favorable bracket, a clear path to the championship, and then an ill-timed, completely incidental Embiid injury. Even if Embiid can, by some miracle, return by Game 1, odds are he will be playing at less than 100 percent — battling through significant pain and a bulky knee brace.
Boston proved itself vulnerable in the first round, going six games (and almost seven games) with the 41-41 Atlanta Hawks. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are a formidable and battle-tested duo, and the Celtics probably have the best depth in the NBA. But, Joe Mazzulla is an unproven head coach and Boston has floundered at various points all season. That team is not unbeatable.
Were Embiid perfectly healthy, it might be fair to dub the Sixers as favorites. Philly was the only team to sweep their first round opponent and the Embiid-Harden duo profiles as arguably the most potent offensive duo left in the playoffs. Unfortunately, Embiid is not healthy. Any missed time will skew the series odds significantly in Boston’s favor.
James Harden and Tyrese Maxey have struggled with the Celtics matchup in the past; Boston’s switch-everything scheme can make life quite challenging on guards. Marcus Smart and Derrick White happen to be two of the top guard stoppers in the NBA, for good measure. It will take a herculean effort from the supporting cast to win in Embiid’s absence. The Sixers saw glimpses of that possibility in the first round — Paul Reed dominated Game 4 as a starter in Brooklyn — but the Celtics are a different beast entirely.
At this point, all Sixers fans can do is hope. If Embiid can overcome this injury to guide the Sixers past their hated division rivals — especially given the Sixers’ track record with Boston during the Embiid era — then, well, that would be an amazing story.
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