“I got one job to do, to carry us”
The Philadelphia 76ers fell short 101-109 in Monday night’s Game 1 against the Boston Celtics – and 76ers center Joel Embiid was feeling the heat.
Embiid took only 15 shots, finishing with 26 points and 16 rebounds. But he acknowledged that while he could have used more help from his team, he also needed to step it up himself.
“Obviously not enough [shots],” said Embiid.
“I’ve got to be more aggressive. Maybe we need to call some more plays but I don’t know. That’s another thing we’ve got to fix going into Game 2.”
Despite their current size advantage, Boston was prepared for Game 1. Philadelphia ended up with 18 total turnovers that resulted in 21 points for the Celtics alone, contributing to their win.
“This is the double-edged sword where you have to figure out what line do you want to walk,” said 76ers coach Brett Brown.
“This overplaying the volume of just smashmouth, bully-ball post-ups; if you do it all the time it comes with some level of punishment if you’re not careful.”
Leading up to the games, Brown had been running daily drills for Emiid to strengthen his defensive moves and help him prepare for double-teaming.
“I’ve got to do more. I got one job to do, to carry us,” said Embiid.
“I’m going to need my teammates to help but I need to do more. I’ve got to take more shots, I’ve got to be more aggressive, I’ve got to help my teammates.”
“You can’t minimize the fact the losing stinks,” said coach Brown. ”But I feel like there are answers to the questions of why.”
Will the 76ers be going in with a plan for their next matchup? Can Embiid carry his team to a redemption win?
We won’t have to wait too long to see – as the two teams go head to head again tomorrow (Wednesday) night in Game 2.
Sources: ESPN, NBA
