The Philadelphia 76ers took a crushing 92-90 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 that ended their season as Raptors star Kawhi Leonard got the greatest shooter’s roll of all time to fall at the buzzer. Joel Embiid had 21 points on 6-for-16 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds as well as swatting four blocks for Philadelphia, but it was not enough. An emotional Embiid walked off the floor with his head in his hands as a dream of reaching the NBA Finals came to an end with the gut wrenching loss. In the long run, this is the type of game that can shape a player’s career. This is something where Embiid can build off of it, remember this feeling, and come back stronger for the 2019-20 season. Brett Brown told reporters post game: “As painful as it feels now, it’ll help him,” Brown says of Embiid crying after the loss. “It’s hard to be the last man standing. To see him have the emotion he has…it is painful for all of us, but he’ll look at the rear view and remember this.” “As painful as it feels now, it’ll help him,” Brown says of Embiid crying after the loss. “It’s hard to be the last man standing. To see him have the emotion he has…it is painful for all of us, but he’ll look at the rear view and remember this.” — Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 13, 2019 Embiid and the Sixers now head into an uncertain offseason where they will face questions about the free agency of both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris and also, the status of Brown going forward. Once the players and the front office decompress from this tough loss, the Sixers will handle all of those tough decisions and then go from there. As for now, it’s time for reflection on what the season was and what it could have been.<doc-sep>NBA Rumors: Why the Lakers may present the best option for Kyrie Irving by Michael Saenz Joel Embiid’s up and down postseason play is the latest proof that the superstar big man is not currently a top 10 player in the NBA Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers‘ season ended in the most dramatic Game 7 in a long time. Kawhi Leonard went Michael Jordan in the final seconds and drilled a game-winning buzzer beater on a fadeaway jumper in the corner that was one of the most suspenseful shots and friendliest rims in basketball history. I mean four bounces, come on, we saw a bounce for every time The Claw led Toronto to a win this series so it may have been poetic justice for Toronto hoops after giving up their franchise guy, DeMar DeRozan. The ending to the season was a devasting one for the Sixers especially because they went all in during the trade deadline wheeling and dealing players, picks and cash for Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, James Ennis, Boban Marajanovic, Jonathan Simmons and Mike Scott to bolster the roster for a chance to the Eastern Conference Finals and eventually the NBA Finals. With arguably the most talented starting five in Philadelphia history and the best team since the Allen Iverson era, this loss will probably send head coach Brett Brown on his way out the door. Brown did a phenomenal job in “trusting the process” and getting the Sixers to over 50 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1984-86, but he likely won’t be the coach to get this core to the next level. If the Sixers move on from Brown, this move would be similar to Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr in Golden State and David Blatt and Ty Lue in Cleveland. Both moves worked out very well for each team and resulted in NBA titles. Entering the summer, the Sixers have eight potential players free to hit the open market and will likely have to spend all they have to retain the players they traded for. They’ll continue to build around the one player that is immovable to the franchise, fans, and Elton Brand, that’s Joel Embiid. Embiid had regular season career-highs and top 10 finishes during his third season. He was fourth in points (27.5), second in rebounds (13.6), tied-sixth in blocks (1.9bpg), and third in player efficiency (32.2) in 64 games played. Embiid played in 63 games in 2017-18 and 31 games as a rookie in 2016-17. During the first round of the postseason as a three seed, Embiid averaged 19.4 minutes per game in four games of the five-game series versus the Brooklyn Nets. Embiid missed Game 3 in Brooklyn and averaged 24.7 points a game and 13.5 rebounds in the first round. In the conference semifinals versus the Raptors, Embiid averaged 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and two blocks in 33.8 minutes per game. Embiid’s numbers dropped drastically versus the Raptors compared to the Nets which can be expected. Embiid had a minimal impact in Games 4 and 5 and scored eight of his 12 points in Game 2 from the free throw line. Embiid scored 46 of his 123 points from the line in the series and 46-of-55 from the charity stripe. Embiid finished 18th in scoring (20.2) during the postseason, Pascal Siakim and Caris LeVert averaged more points than the Sixers big man. Embiid’s 30.4 minutes per game ranked a mere 50th in the league. Embiid did finish fifth in rebounding and second in blocks during is the postseason. Embiid had a similar postseason during the 2017-18 NBA Playoffs. Embiid made his first postseason appearance with the Sixers, after missing games 1 and 2 versus the Miami Heat. Embiid averaged 18.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3 blocks in 30 minutes per game. The Sixers won their first-round matchup versus the Heat in five games then lost in five during the semifinals to the Boston Celtics. Embiid posted 23 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists per game in 37.4 minutes. Embiid lived at the free-throw line attempting 33 in three games versus Miami during the first round and 28 in five games against Boston. Embiid’s game is way more effective when he’s getting to the line and that is hard to do when he’s consistently starting his possessions from the three-point line because Ben Simmons isn’t a threat. The Raptors double-teamed Embiid well in the post and kept the Sixers shooting mid-range jumpers and forced Embiid to take fadeaways and floaters rather than the traditional post hooks and layups. When the Sixers needed Embiid most in the postseason, it was Jimmy Butler who stepped up and put his playoff experience on display. That was why he was brought to Philadelphia – to tie the game up with 4.2 seconds in Game 7 on the road. Butler became the leader as Ben Simmons was invisible in most of the series, J.J. Redick showed sparks, and Harris played his role scoring 9-16 points in every game and grabbing boards, but all three couldn’t buy a bucket late in games. The Sixers needed more Embiid. In only his third season, Embiid was supposed to take his game to the next level in the postseason, but he deferred in critical moments and made a few memorable plays in a series dominated by Kawhi Leonard. Ultimately, Embiid’s performance this year, this series and postseason will be remembered by most media and fans for not playing and doing enough. Here are the top 15 players in the NBA LeBron James – The King remains on the throne whether or not he missed the postseason for the first time in almost 15 years. James is taking on a project, to say the least with the Lakers drama, their roster revamps, and his midseason injury, but in year two he should have another star on his side to make his life easier. At 34 years old, James averaged 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 55 games.<doc-sep>As the Philadelphia 76ers were on their way to a loss in their playoff opener against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday afternoon, the ESPN broadcast captured Sixers star Joel Embiid and teammate Amir Johnson looking at a cell phone — a violation of NBA rules. Embiid immediately caught flak on social media, but he provided the following explanation after the game. "Obviously, I wasn't on my phone," he told reporters. "I just looked down because he said that his daughter was extremely sick, and he was checking on her. So, I don't know. I just looked, but he was checking on his daughter. She's sick." The Sixers fell 111-102, and the home crowd let them hear it with boos throughout much of the loss. "I love the fans, and I've never said anything about them," Embiid said. "They all show us a lot of love. I mean, (the boos are) understandable. They come in, they pay a lot of money. They want a game to be entertaining. They want to watch us win. So I understand why they boo." Embiid, who almost didn't play due to knee soreness, finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, five blocks and four assists, but shot just 5-15 from the field. The 76ers announced later Saturday that Johnson was fined for conduct detrimental to the team. "I apologize for having my phone on the bench in today's game," Johnson said in the team's statement. "I take full responsibility and will accept the consequences of my actions. I also apologize to my teammates, the 76ers organization and the fans for the distraction this has caused."<doc-sep>The Philadelphia 76ers' season is over after they were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the second straight season. Last season's exit was surprising, as they fell to the shorthanded Boston Celtics, but this time around, their loss was heartbreaking. Kawhi Leonard hit one of the most incredible shots in NBA history, getting a high-arcing fadeaway to go down after bouncing on the rim four times for the first Game 7 buzzer beater in NBA history. The win lifted his Toronto Raptors to the Eastern Conference finals and broke the hearts of everyone in Philadelphia, including Joel Embiid. The Sixers' star center was devastated by the loss, breaking into tears before he even left the court. He was greeted by Raptors veteran Marc Gasol, who gave him some consoling words, as well as a shoulder to cry on in a touching moment of sportsmanship. Eventually, Greg Monroe arrived to gather his teammate and help him make the long walk to the locker room. It's quite easy to empathize with the young big man, who had his fair share of struggles in this series, including a nasty illness that he played through in the middle games. He didn't have his best night on Sunday, but he still finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 45 minutes, giving everything he could to help his team win. The Sixers were plus-10 when he was on the floor in a two-point loss, meaning they were minus-12 in the three minutes that he sat, which just goes to show how much he means to his team.<doc-sep>
Every team is largely dependent on its superstar, but with the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid, that connection is even more pronounced. When Embiid is good, Philly can, and often does, look like a legit title contender. When Embiid is bad, they can, and often do, look like a lottery team. In Thursday's 112-101 Game 6 win over the Toronto Raptors, Embiid wasn't good, he was great -- even if the traditional numbers looked pedestrian -- and Philly is now headed for a Game 7. Embiid, who was downright bad in four of the first five games of this series, had 17 points and 12 rebounds in Game 6. He shot 5-of-14 from the field. He had two blocks. One steal. A couple 3-pointers. He played 35 minutes. He had five turnovers. And he was a ... PLUS-40! Typically plus-minus numbers for a single game are pretty useless. But when a dude is plus-40 in a game his team wins by 11, you have to stand up and give that man a round of applause. The Sixers, if you reverse the math, were outscored by 29 points in the 13 minutes Embiid was on the bench. Just about every time he came out, the Raptors would string together a run. Then Brett Brown, with no choice in a do-or-die game, would promptly do away the normal rotations and put Embiid back in, and the run would stop. And, as you can tell by the 17 points, it wasn't Embiid's offense carrying the day. He wasn't bad on that end. He was controlled and allowed Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons to be the aggressors, he hit some jumpers to extend the Raptors' defense and open the lane, and he was just generally active in motions that created looks for others. But it was his defense that dominated. He was everywhere -- dropping and containing two on pick-and-rolls, recovering to shooters, stuffing Marc Gasol into a completely irrelevant seven-point performance. And then he did a few things like this: And this: It's fitting that Simmons finished that last clip with a breakout layup. He made it a point to push the pace in Game 6, and with Butler aggressive in the half court, this is Philly at its best. Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick combined for 27 points. Mike Scott chipped in 11 off the bench. Philly is just a different team when it's playing with energy. Again, credit Butler for a lot of that. He was sensational in the first half and finished with 25 points and eight assists. Butler has to create consistent offense for Philly, because Simmons' contributions are more circumstantial, and thus inconsistent. When Butler is playing like a No. 1 on offense, Embiid doesn't have to be spectacular on both ends. He can be, but he doesn't have to be. His defense is what really makes him a superstar, anyway. He has great skill and feet and a wildly versatile arsenal for a man his size, but the defense is what truly sets him apart. When he's at his best, as he was in Game 6, you can make the argument he's the most impactful defender in the league. So now here we go for Game 7 on Sunday in Toronto. This is why the Raptors went and got Kawhi Leonard, for games like this, and if The Process is ever going to come to full fruition, you knew it was going to have to go through a series like this at some point. This is gut-check time. When the Sixers win, it's not usually about pristine execution or lights-out shooting. It's about energy. It's about a bunch of talented players who don't always fit perfectly just kind of figuring it out on sheer ability and will. But it all starts with Joel Embiid, and for as dominant as he was in Game 6, if he doesn't bring this same kind of force in Game 7, the Sixers' season will end with him, too.