Joel Embiid ruled out for Celtics-76ers Game 1
MVP favorite has done 'zero running'
As Doc Rivers walked up to take a seat at the podium before Monday’s Game 1, the 76ers coach paused for a moment before taking a deep breath while looking out at the assembled reporters, who were waiting for an update on his star big man.
“Well, I don’t have a speech or anything,” Rivers cracked before taking a seat.
Rivers confirmed Joel Embiid — the 76ers star and frontrunner to win MVP on Tuesday — was out for Game 1, but didn’t know, or share, much about when he could return. Embiid suffered a right knee injury in Philadelphia’s Game 3 victory of its first-round sweep, and was reportedly diagnosed with a sprained LCL on April 21. He also reportedly received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in the knee last week.
Embiid participated in 76ers shootaround at TD Garden on Monday, but seems far off from a return. Rivers said the big man has done “zero running,” and was unsure when asked if there is optimism he could be back for Wednesday night’s Game 2.
“I don’t know,” Rivers said. “I hope, but I can’t even say. …
“He shot today a little bit after practice, but that’s his first real court time. But there was zero running.”
What does Rivers need to see before Embiid makes a return?
“I don’t have to see anything,” Rivers said. “When they tell me he can play, he’s playing. Really. I got out of that a while ago. I just let the doctors and whoever else, every team has a team of 40 looking at him.”
Without Embiid, the 76ers were 12-5, including their Game 4 win over the
Nets. The Celtics, in their preparation, seemed ready for both scenarios, understanding the Sixers will play faster with more spacing on the floor without the big man. But Rivers disagreed with any silver lining that Philadelphia got some experience in the last round without Embiid. He knows they want, and need, him on the floor.
“I can lie to you and say, ‘Yeah, I guess that’s nice,’ but I would rather have him,” Rivers said. “Listen, this happens, seems like, more and more in the playoffs and you just got to fill the void. It’s not gonna be one guy or anything like that. We do have experience with it this year. We’ve done much better this year than in years past, so we’re going to lean on that.”
Rivers pays tribute
Rivers ended his pregame press conference with a tribute to late Celtics vice president of public relations Heather Walker.
Walker died last Wednesday after a two-year battle with a rare form of brain cancer. She was diagnosed in July 2021 and later started the Heather Walker Fund for Glioblastoma Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she was treated. She was 52 years old.
After Walker joined the organization in 2006, she worked closely with Rivers over the last seven years of his tenure in Boston. Rivers grew teary Monday as reflected on their time together.
“You know, when Heather first came, I didn’t know what to make of her when she first came. She was so strong and early on we’d bump heads, like, ‘No, this is how we do this,’ because I was the old-school PR thought, and she was bringing in the new way. And she was right, I hate to say. But she was just terrific,” he said.
“I had a chance to text back and forth with her probably about three weeks ago. … There’s just so many people that work that you have a chance to touch, and those people have a chance to touch you. It’s just sad when you lose one so young and so gifted. And really, like a lot of people, you don’t ever give a chance to say thank you.”
Walker is survived by her husband, Stephen, and two daughters, Samantha and Taylor. She was honored just before tip at TD Garden with a moment of celebration.
Special guests
Derrick White and Grant Williams were special guests at TD Garden on Sunday night as the Bruins played Game 7 of their firstround series against the Panthers. The Celtics teammates were the Bruins’ fan banner captains, and wore custom jerseys with their name and number on it.
Despite their devastating overtime loss — as the B’s were eliminated after their historic regular season and being up 3-1 in the series — White enjoyed the experience.
“It was fun,” White said. “The atmosphere was crazy. My first Bruins game, so it was a lot of fun for me. I really enjoyed it. …
“Definitely a tough loss. I feel bad for them, they had a great season. But it was a fun game and I’ll be there next year supporting them.”
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was also in the building for the Bruins’ Game 7 loss, and thought there were some lessons he could take.
“You can learn from anything,” Mazzulla said. “I think what I paid attention to was just how hard the guys played, what they put into it. And then the atmosphere, the environment of a Game 7 of a playoff game, there’s a ton you can learn from a momentum, from an energy standpoint, from important plays. And so you try to just pick things from anything to learn from when you watch a group of guys trying to achieve greatness.”