Joel Embiid made good on his return to the court with a dominant performance that sent the Philadelphia 76ers to the second round, then used his moment in the spotlight to issue a direct appeal to the team's fan base.
The 76ers center delivered 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as Philadelphia completed an improbable comeback against the Boston Celtics, winning 109-100 on Saturday night. The victory marked just the 14th time in NBA playoff history that a team has erased a 3-1 deficit, and it came without Jayson Tatum in Boston's lineup due to knee stiffness.
Tyrese Maxey powered the second unit with 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The rest of the roster contributed as well, with VJ Edgecombe scoring 23 and Paul George adding 13 points. As the seventh seed, Philadelphia will now travel to face the third-seeded New York Knicks on Monday for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Before celebrating the series win, Embiid turned serious. He recounted how Knicks fans had flooded Philadelphia's arena two years earlier in the teams' previous playoff matchup, effectively turning it into what he called "Madison Square Garden East." The experience frustrated him then. This time, he was determined to prevent a repeat.
"I just have a message for our fans," Embiid said. "Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like we were playing in their house. We're gonna need the support. Don't sell your tickets. This is bigger than you."
He didn't stop there. Acknowledging that some fans might be tempted to cash in on playoff ticket prices, he made an extraordinary offer: "If you need money, I've got you." With an annual salary of $58 million, Embiid was putting his money where his mouth was.
The star center's words carried extra weight given the stakes. Embiid had missed the first three games of the Boston series while recovering from appendectomy surgery, yet still became the first player in NBA history to score 100 points in a playoff series without playing in the opening three contests.
Boston's loss marked an ignominious collapse. Jaylen Brown finished with 33 points and nine rebounds for the Celtics, while Derrick White contributed 26 points, including five three-pointers. But the team's outside shooting continued to desert them, as Boston finished just 13 of 49 from deep for the third straight game in the series.
Coach Joe Mazzulla defended his team's approach despite the brutal result. "I love the looks that we got. I love the process that we had," he said. "But I hate the result."
Maxey reflected on the vindication the comeback provided. "We had a chance to beat them three years ago, didn't do it," he said of the 2023 second-round loss. "We came in and got it done." That 2023 exit had stung, with Boston routing Philadelphia in Game 7 to advance further in the postseason.
The Celtics' early departure was their earliest since the 2020-21 season. Boston's record when leading a playoff series 3-1 now stands at 32-1.
Author James Rodriguez: "Embiid backing his words with actual cash is either the most authentic power move in modern sports or a sign of how desperate teams have become to preserve home court in the era of ticket resale culture."
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