Joel Embiid didn’t get the MVP trophy he thought he deserved, so he turned his attention back to the pursuit of an NBA title, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Shortly before the start of Tuesday’s game, Denver’s Nikola Jokic was announced as this year’s MVP, with Embiid finishing a distant second. The Sixers center responded to the news with 40 points and 13 rebounds in a Game 2 win over Atlanta.
“It’s disappointing because as a player, you work hard for moments like this,” Embiid said. “But then again, it’s out of my control. There’s nothing I can do about it. You just got to come out every year and just be ready and do my job. But I’m focused on the playoffs, I’m focused on winning the championship. … So I’m not worried about those awards and stuff. If and when I’m holding that (Larry O’Brien) Trophy, anything else won’t matter.”
Embiid has been dominant in the first two games against the Hawks, averaging 39.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game despite dealing with a small meniscus tear in his right knee that he suffered in round one. He admits having “limited mobility,” but said he’s found ways to adjust his game to still be effective.
“No excuses,” teammate Tobias Harris said. “He understands that. This is the playoffs. The way the NBA season was, I don’t think anybody is 100%. So when he steps on the floor, he has that attitude and that mentality that it’s, ‘win.'”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- After playing just 38 seconds in the series opener, Shake Milton became a difference maker in Game 2, notes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. The third-year guard came off the bench to score 14 points and help Philadelphia break open a close game.
- Another low-scoring performance by Ben Simmons is reviving questions about how far the Sixers can advance in the playoffs with minimal production from their second-best player, points out Brad Botkin of CBS Sports. Simmons finished with four points and only took three shots from the field in Game 2.
- Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic looks at how Seth Curry has been able to rise from his early days in the G League to be an important contributor on a playoff team. Curry, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Mavericks, is averaging 24.0 PPG in his last three games.
After the Hawks eliminate them Joel will have all the time he needs to focus on losing that MVP!
Ben Simmons is NOT a star player! Good all-round player, great defender, but not a star!
Maxey needs to play more, he could develop into the stud they needed Simmons to be!
Only Sixers fans consider Ben Simmons to be an elite player. One might as well call Rudy Gobert a star player, both play great defense but aren’t much of a threat to score. You can’t be a star player in the NBA these days averaging less than 16 PPG. Great defender, great facilitator, but not a star.
He’s really just an improved version of Draymond, who’s a role player.
Embiid played 51 games, he’s lucky he even qualified.
Extrapolate both to 72 games and its 15.6 to 12.4, Joker.
This is why you can’t look at the box scores. Simmons didn’t need to have a good offensive game when he destroyed the Hawks on the defensive end.
Exactly he locked up Trae don’t understand how he had “minimal production”
Yea anyone who thinks that Ben had a horrible game either didn’t watch the game, or doesn’t know basketball. He was absolutely all over the floor on defense making a huge impact all game.
Look, Ben has his flaws, but the way the media and the fans in Philly (most of them) treat him is asinine.
Like I said, good all-around player and great defender! He’s basically Gobert at G.
The 76s have 1 stud player in Embiid. Simmons and Harris are good but it’s not enough to win a ring!
Maxey should play more to get experience, as he has potential to develop into a dominant stud
trollhunter your understanding of the game is lacking if you can’t see how important a guy like Ben Simmons is. He’s not just a great defender, he’s probably the best overall defensive player in the world rn, top2 at worst. He’s also a top5 passer in the world. His iq on both ends is extremely high. He’s also huge & extremely athletic with a massive wingspan. I love Tyrese Maxey but there’s zero chance that Tyrese ever gets to the level that Ben is at rn. He’s obv not a shooter & I’ve been watching him since he was at Montverde & I always knew he would never be a shooter. But it was also obvious that he was so great at literally every other part of the game that he’d still be a star & thats exactly what he is.
Is it really that asinine? Embiid isn’t going to score 40 points (along with Curry and Harris scoring 20 apiece) in every single game.
Like Draymond, Ben is always going to be a liability on offense.
Any PG in the entire history of the NBA can shoot the ball (better than him), calling Simmons a PG is what is truly asinine here.
Milton good?— so play him more
Simmons bad?— so trade him (pssst- Cavs)
Pssst- Warriors !!
I’m a Warriors fan … Simmons is a great player. He’s a younger Draymond type, but a better rebounder, much taller and overall a better scorer.
Yes Mike that would be amazing but I doubt he’ll be available. He is an amazing player and not sure the Sixers would give up on him right now. We’ll see.