Many Sixers fans have called out Joel Embiid for not stepping up when it mattered most on Sunday, as the former MVP went 0-for-5 from the field in the fourth quarter as Philly was pushed to the brink of elimination.
But Spike and Ike say that the blame goes to everyone around Embiid, as the Sixers as a whole continue to fail their superstar when it comes to getting the right personnel around him, and that personnel failing to carry its weight while all of the opposing focus is on slowing down Embiid.
“This is not Joel Embiid’s failure. This is everyone around Embiid that have failed him,” Spike said. “Daryl Morey has failed Joel Embiid. Nick Nurse has failed Joel Embiid. The other players on the team have failed Joel Embiid.”
Nobody has scored more points in the NBA playoffs so far than Embiid, and the Sixers are outscoring the Knicks by nearly 40 points this series when Embiid is on the court, and are being outscored by more than 40 when he is on the bench. So, Embiid had to be on the court for the entire second half for Philly to have a chance, but as has been a trend throughout the series, the supporting cast didn’t provide enough help.
“It has been so bad with him off the court, and was so bad for two minutes in the first half that they could not sit him,” Spike said. “Yesterday is such a failure on Maxey and Nurse specifically that this guy is dragging ass because he’s played the entire second half, because nobody can dream about them staying in the game without him being out there. Aside from [Sunday], he has been the best player on the court the entire series.”
“That could have easily been a 10-15 point loss if he sits for two minutes of that second half,” Ike added. “It’s really about the supporting cast.”
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