Damian Lillard was thrown off by Joel Embiid’s comments after the Philadelphia 76ers were blown out by the Boston Celtics 112-88 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Sunday. Despite winning the Most Valuable Player award, Embiid put up just 15 points on 5-18 attempts with the season on the line. When asked about the game afterward, Embiid admitted that he needed to play better, but added that he can’t carry the team by himself. Lillard wasn’t happy when he saw the comments on Twitter.
“We got an unfinished job. We haven’t won anything,” Embiid said when asked about his and James Harden’s future. “And I think we got the chance to win. Obviously going to seven games and having a chance to close it out at home, which we didn’t do, I still believe we got the chance to win. We got what it takes to win. So obviously, I don’t know what’s going on. And I know he has a player option or they can extend him. But that’s on [the front office] to figure it out, I’m gonna stay out of it. But I still believe that me and him, we got the chance to win.”
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Joel Embiid During Game 7
He continued: “But it’s gonna take more than us. We all gotta look at ourselves. I gotta be better and I will be better. That’s what I’m focused on. All of us, we got to come back and find ways to just keep improving and help the team. We can’t win alone, I can’t win alone, me and James, we just can’t win alone. That’s why basketball is played 5-on-5. So, we just need everybody to just trying to keep finding ways to get better. And we’ll be fine.”
In response to the comments, Lillard wrote, “Huh?” Unfortunately for Lillard, The Portland Trail Blazers finished 13th in the Western Conference, far outside of playoff contention.
Damian Lillard’s Response
The Celtics will now take on the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals while the Lakers will be playing the Nuggets in the West. Both series are rematches of the 2020 playoffs, which were held in the NBA Bubble.
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