PHILADELPHIA — Since drafting Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers have been chasing the franchise’s first championship in decades by searching for the right pieces to play alongside the franchise stalwart. This season presented perhaps the most balanced and experienced supporting cast of Embiid’s career, but once again the 76ers failed to get past the second round.
In a Monday edition of the Locked On 76ers podcast, host Keith Pompey broke down the team’s blowout loss in Game Seven, the ramifications heading into the offseason, and why this was the worst postseason loss of Embiid’s career.
“The reason this one is the worst in my opinion is because the Sixers were up 3-2,” Pompey explained. “They had a chance to close this series out in six games, and they laid an egg. And then they had to come back to Boston for Game Seven on Sunday, and they quit.”
Philadelphia was down just three points heading into halftime but suffered through a 23-point deficit in the third quarter to finish off their playoff collapse. This after they stole a road Game Five in Boston to go up 3-2 in the series with a chance to close it out at home on Thursday night.
Instead, the 76ers’ crunch-time offense fell apart in Game Six, leaving a hole open for the Celtics to win. Then on Sunday, their hapless third quarter sealed their fate.
The 76ers lost on a Game Seven buzzer-beater to Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in 2019, which Embiid often cites as the worst loss of his career. They lost as heavy favorites to an unproven Atlanta Hawks squad at home in a Game Seven in 2021. They lost in six games with Embiid injured in 2022 to a much smaller Miami Heat squad. And now this implosion.
Embiid is 0-3 in his career in Game Sevens.
Following another disappointing exit, the 76ers stare down an offseason which already began with the firing of head coach Doc Rivers, and now star guard James Harden and even lead executive Daryl Morey may not return as well. Embiid’s search for stability and success continues.