Had the Atlanta Hawks not extended Boston's first-round series to six games, Embiid likely would not have played a Saturday Game 1 of these Eastern Conference semifinals, Sixers coach Doc Rivers told reporters on Thursday. Now, Embiid is playing on a sprained LCL in his right knee, which cost him the finale of a first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets. He has gutted through the playoffs ever since - on a sore left knee in 2019, an ankle injury in 2020 (when Boston fully swept Philadelphia), a torn right meniscus in 2021 and another orbital fracture last year. Embiid suffered a second-round gentleman's sweep at the hands of the Celtics in his 2018 playoff debut, when a fractured orbital bone forced him to wear a mask. Multiple surgeries on his right foot cost him the first two years of his career. He also has never been able to remain healthy throughout two rounds of the playoffs. He is the two-time returning MVP runner-up and will almost certainly win the award this season, when his 33.1 points per game led the NBA for a second straight season, and he added 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 combined blocks and steals in 34.6 minutes a night. In case you have not watched the NBA for the past three years, 76ers center Joel Embiid is 7 feet, 280 pounds and somehow plays bigger than that. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) (Mitchell Leff via Getty Images) 3 keys to the series What the heck do the Celtics do against Joel Embiid? Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Boston's Jayson Tatum will pose matchup problems in their 2023 NBA playoffs second-round series.
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