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PHILADELPHIA: Joel Embiid plunged backwards in the final minute of the best game of his NBA career, he ran backwards with his arms raised above his head like an “MVP!” “MVP!” The chants echoed across the arena and hand gestures for imaginary fans, no doubt Philadelphia 76ers fans to see it at home, make noise.
“The fans are always there for me when I play,” Embiid said. “I play for the fans. I play around the city. All my goals when I play basketball are related to the city of Philadelphia. I feel like they are here for us even when they are not. I always feel his presence. “
Guess what, Joel – Sixers fans can head back to the building on Sunday, and if they are among the lucky 3,100 who get a ticket, the bottom center tickets can be found on StubHub for up to $ 1250 each, they are sure to show up. love worth 20,000 back to Embiid.
At age 26, Embiid has not only led the Sixers (24-12) to the best record in the Eastern Conference, but has ultimately become the enduring, mature and downright dominant force the Sixers had hoped for when they made him the third. NBA selection. the 2014 draft.
“I just want to destroy everything in my path,” Embiid said.
Let’s not raise a “Mission Accomplished” banner yet on the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center.
But what Embiid has done during the All-Star break has made him the MVP favorite of +200 in betting (Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is next at +225) and he became, together with fellow All-Star Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, the Sixers are perhaps the only team that can give Brooklyn a run out of the East. The Sixers haven’t won the NBA championship since 1983.
“It’s nice to have a big man in the MVP talk,” Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal told The Associated Press. “You have to take a high-percentage shot and take advantage of your opponent. He’s finally playing like this. This is how you play. Do you want to be good, do you want to be great or do you want to be the best? It’s up to you.”
Embiid, who missed what would have been his first two seasons due to injuries, still has solid numbers in his first four. But it always left hints that there was a lot of untapped potential in its roughly 7-foot frame.
His 30.2 points are behind Washington’s Bradley Beal and about 2½ points higher than his previous career best. Embiid has five games of more than 40 points and more than 10 rebounds in 30 games, the rest of the NBA players combined hit that mark only four times, highlighted by that 50-point, 17-board game on February 17 against the Bulls. . Embiid was the first 76er to score 50 since Allen Iverson in 2005.
He’s trying to become the first Sixer to win the NBA MVP (fans call it an MVBiid campaign) since Iverson in 2001. Moses Malone (1982-83), Julius Erving (1980-81) and Wilt Chamberlain (who won three games in a row from 1965-1968) all earned the NBA’s highest honor.
– Embiid’s 13 career 40-10 games tie him with Charles Barkley for second in team history, behind Chamberlain (31).
– Leads the NBA in total free throws taken (298), free throws taken per game (9.9) and free throws per game (11.6).
– Embiid, Barkley and Chamberlain are the only three 76ers with at least 900 points and 300 rebounds in their first 30 games of a season.
Embiid said the defensive player of the year was more important to winning this season, although he might have to fight Simmons, than receiving any other individual award.
“When I came to the league, I never thought I would be that good offensively,” he said. “I always focused on the defensive side. That has been my objective, to win it ”.
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