The Philadelphia 76ers were swept in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the New York Knicks, but don’t expect that to deter Sixers center and former league MVP Joel Embiid.
“I’m as confident as I’ve ever been,” Embiid said Sunday the Sixers lost 144-114 in Game 4 to finish the series, according to ESPN. “I think, obviously, [my knee] was the biggest concern, and I’m not thinking about it; and as long as we keep doing what we’ve been doing, I won’t have to think about it anymore.
“I’m looking at next year, obviously being more available. The personal goals, it doesn’t matter. I know that if I’m available and I play as much as possible, everything else is going to follow.”
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse commended his center’s efforts to play at all, considering the injuries he was battling throughout the playoffs.
“All I can say is I commend him,” Nurse said. “He worked his ass off to get out there and play. I think it was really difficult for him, especially [in Game 3].
“I think he felt a little better today than he did in Game 3. But again, I’d just say he gave us everything he could.”
Moving forward, Embiid knows that from top to bottom, the Sixers organization has to be better.
“I’m proud of this group. I feel like we play hard, we tried, as we have done all season, and at times it’s OK to say that the other team was just better,” he said. “Tonight, (the Knicks) made every shot, they made every single play; we didn’t make shots.
“We just got to get better from top to bottom. Ownership, front office, players, coaches … everybody just got to get better.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.