Embiid’s spirit shows Sixers still have puncher’s chance
PHILADELPHIA » Before their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series, Joel Embiid was asked to furnish his favorite moment from the ever-evolving Sixers series with the Boston Celtics.
“Dr. J and Larry Bird,” he responded, “holding each other’s necks.”
That iconic NBA moment will endure as a rivalry signature piece, but Embiid almost gave it company Monday.
With 2:27 left in the second quarter of the Sixers’ 103-92 victory, Boston’s Terry Rozier was called for an offensive foul. But instead of immediately relinquishing the ball, he held it, potentially compromising the Sixers’ ability to quickly begin their offense.
Not amused, Embiid aggressively reached for the ball. Rozier took offense and began to wave his arms toward Embiid.
“They got called for an offensive foul, and I was just trying to get the ball to keep the flow going because I felt we had an advantage,” Embiid said. “We were on a run and I wanted to keep it going and try to get the ball. And he kind of kept the ball away from me and tried to punch me twice. But too bad he is so short that he couldn’t get to my face.”
Each player was charged with a technical foul. Neither was ejected.
“I didn’t understand why it was a double technical,” Embiid said. “I was trying to get the ball, and he was the one trying to swing.”
On the ensuing possession, Embiid hit a three-point jump shot. Yet Rozier answered with one of his own on Boston’s next trip.
“To set the record straight, I wake up every morning not worried about anybody, no man on this Earth,” Rozier was quoted as saying after the game. “We were out there having fun. It’s just part of a basketball game. That’s all it is.”
Before the game, Brett Brown cited an image to explain how the Spurs used to approach close-out games when he was an assistant to Gregg Popovich. His point was that the Celtics would approach Game 4 with the same intensity.
“You just wanted to punch them right in the mouth and end this thing and go home,” he said, never meaning it to be taken literally. “And that is what I expect to get from them. We will get their best.”
Boston’s best was not enough … and Rozier’s swings at Embiid did anything subdue the Sixers.
“The way Jo handles himself on the court, he has great energy,” Ben Simmons said. “He is a beast in the post. He knocks down shots and is an all-around player. So for somebody to try to frustrate him and get under his skin, I think he is going to throw it down harder, and when he gets to the rim, he will go up stronger.”
*** Brown carefully kept his new starting lineup private before Game 4, only announcing that T.J. McConnell would replace Robert Covington when obligated to with about a halfhour before tip.
With Game 5 in Boston Wednesday, he may not have that element of surprise should he use that lineup again.
“I mean, you’d think we’d go with it, wouldn’t you?” Brown said, with a sly grin. “I mean, I don’t think I’d be shocking Brad (Stevens) with that declaration, or showing my hand. So you’d think so. But we’ll all go back and talk about it.
“I don’t think it’s gimmicky. I think it’s real. And I would suspect that we would use it again.”
Among the Sixers’ greatest strengths in a season in which they have won 57 times has been their willingness to adjust to role-changes without but protest.
So Brown did not worry about a revolt when he told Covington that he would not start Monday.
“He’s amazing,” Brown said. “He is an amazing teammate, a genuinely good person. And he handled like I knew that he would. Incredibly supportive. Whatever it takes to win.”
Undrafted out of the University of Arizona, McConnell has often been told he is not an NBA player. But he is in his third year, and the Pittsburgh native has won a starting job on a second-round playoff team.
“You know, that’s their opinion,” McConnell said. “People are going to say that throughout my entire career. I just have to go out there and play my game and help our team win, and I can’t be worried what other people are saying.”
*** Known for his friendliness in public, Brown once was found talking basketball while jogging near the Wells Fargo Center to a driver who just rolled down his window and began asking questions.
But after the Sixers fell into an 0-3 hole against Boston, Brown understood the rules.
“I don’t walk the streets as much as I used to,” he said, a little playfully. “I used to proudly go to my Starbucks. Now …
“But it’s the city of Philadelphia. And think about the journey that the fans have been on. After the Miami series, expectations went higher. Then, you are down 0-3 and lose some tough games and people are saying, ‘What’s going on here?’ And I understand. It’s Philadelphia. And I think that’s what makes it great.”
*** Dario Saric, who’d been having a rough series, responded with 9-for-17 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists and 25 points Monday.
“After you’re down 3-0, you come on the court and fight and try to follow the game plan,” he said. “We did it. I think the first three games, Boston played a little better.
“We have nothing to lose. It’s our call. And tonight, we deserved to win.”
*** Game 5 will be Wednesday night in Boston. The Sixers lost the first two games at the TD Garden.
“They are obviously going to come out aggressive, and we have to come out the same way,” Celtics forward Al Horford said. “We have to protect our home. They did what they were supposed to do here. We were able to steal one on Saturday, then they protected their home court. We have to go home and protect ours.”