Joel Embiid opens up on Philadelphia 76ers’ mindset following crucial win - “It’s not about me, it’s not about James”
Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid shared an interesting sentiment following his team's win on Wednesday. While highlighting aspects of the performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Embiid shed light on his efforts toward being crowned the MVP.
Embiid has been virtually unstoppable in the month of March. While the entire season has practically been a testament to his offensive dominance, he has particularly excelled in the sphere this month.
Having scored 30 points in each of his last seven games, Embiid has led the 76ers to a tremendous 6-1 record. The record also features a six-game winning streak, making Philadelphia one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment.
Joel Embiid's performance is not just for the sake of the wins, however. The 76ers superstar has garnered enough attention as an MVP candidate in the last two seasons. Although he came up short last year, it seems that this year may finally be his time.
Joel Embiid expressed his thoughts on the same during the postgame interview with ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth. After another 30+ point outing, Hubbarth asked Embiid whether he was still fuelling himself with the notion of winning the MVP award. The big man responded by saying:
"Man, I'm trying to win! Trying to rack up as much wins as we can. And like I said, we're trying to get the group together and doing our job like tonight. We've had to fight all season long, especially going down and we keep coming back and that's good to see."
He added:
"My teammates, they're making my job easy. So just going out there. They have a lot of trust in me. Them and the coaches. But we doing it as a team. It's not about me, it's not about James, whatever I do all day. It's not about me, it's about the whole team."
Embiid was also asked whether this team was prepared for the playoffs. He responded with a smile by saying:
"We're getting there. I'm excited. Like I told you, taking my game to another level first and foremost, defensively, and then offensively. I'm excited about the postseason."
Postgame with @JoelEmbiid https://t.co/qSYOtM4F1p
While Joel Embiid shared his excitement regarding the playoffs, he remained focused on the rest of the regular season. Notching one of the best records with one of the toughest schedules after the All-Star break, the 76ers are a genuine threat in the East.
Joel Embiid will look to make an impact in the postseason
The Philadelphia 76ers are primed to hold homecourt advantage as they head into the postseason. Sitting in third in the East, the 76ers are certainly one of the better teams in the East.
Led by the superstar duo of Joel Embiid and James Harden, the 76ers are also legitimate contenders for the title. A key aspect of their postseason performance, however, will be Embiid's impact.
Embiid hasn't had the most successful record in the postseason. As an offensive presence, the big man is hard to ignore. However, his defensive presence has been easy to overlook.
This reportedly appears to be something he hopes to overcome this postseason. With Embiid claiming that he plans to turn things up a notch in the playoffs, the 76ers will also hope to see the best version of their superstar on the floor.