The return of Joel Embiid was supposed to restore a sense of equilibrium to a series that hitherto seemed to be leaning heavily in one direction. Instead, it merely underscored the imbalance. In Game Four of their first round series, the Celtics did not just beat the Sixers, 128-96; they rendered the premise, and promise, of salvation moot in the process.
To be sure, Embiid deserved praise for even showing up. Barely two weeks removed from an appendectomy, he stepped back into the lineup and put up a remarkable 26, 10, and six in 34 minutes on the court. In and of themselves, the numbers highlighted his remarkable commitment to the Sixers’ cause. That said, the contest betrayed the limits of individual resolve. Beyond the return of a centerpiece, the biggest stage in pro hoops demands the integrity of the whole. And for all the lift he provided, the red, white, and blue remained disjointed: outworked and, perhaps most tellingly, overmatched in both thought and action.
If anything, the set-to shone the spotlight on the Celtics’ superiority. Their three-point barrage was not an outlier, but a manifestation of design; as evidenced by Payton Pritchard’s 32, four, and five, and Jayson Tatum’s 30, seven, and 11, their system functioned optimally against a defense that struggled to keep up. In this light, Embiid’s return did not disrupt the rhythm of the green and white; rather, it gave them a more recognizable target.
Which, for a while now, has been the subtext of the rivalry. The Celtics do not merely win; they impose a structure that resists improvisation. The Sixers, by contrast, continue to oscillate between cohesion and fragmentation, capable of brilliance in stretches but rarely of sustained control. And, if nothing else, Game Four distilled the dynamic with clarity. Even Embiid’s superlative stat line wound up being detached from the way the encounter unfolded, as though it existed parallel to, rather than within, it.
And so the series shifts back to the TD Garden with a familiar refrain. The Sixers were not undone by Embiid’s absence; nor were they rescued by his return. Rather, they are flummoxed by their inability to rely on structure, exactly what the Celtics have in abundance.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
