Joel Embiid says 76ers don't need to wait for the future to become contenders: 'Our time is now'
The Philadelphia 76ers won 16 straight games to close out the regular season before winning Game 1 against the Miami Heat in the postseason. Of those 17 wins, nine were without Joel Embiid, who fractured an orbital bone after a collision with rookie Markelle Fultz. Embiid finally returned in Game 3 after a Game 2 loss to the Heat, and since then the Sixers are 2-0 as they head back to Philadelphia for Game 5 up 3-1 in the series.
The Sixers are seen as a team of the future, but with the struggles that the Cavaliers are experiencing with the Pacers, Embiid is done with all of that, believing that the 76ers are contenders right now.
"A lot of people say that we have a bright future," Embiid said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. "But I think our time is now. We have a pretty good chance. We have a special team, you know, a lot of great guys. I don't think we need anybody else so we just gotta work with what we have and we have a special team that I feel like will have a pretty good chance to go far."
#Sixers center @JoelEmbiid on what statement his squad wants to make to league during the #NBAplayoffs. pic.twitter.com/dcALdMccQf — Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) April 23, 2018
Those are big words coming from Embiid, who has preached patience the past two years. However, the massive year from rookie Ben Simmons and the outstanding play of Dario Saric and Marco Belinelli have the Sixers looking really scary right now. They've been putting up heaps of points on the Heat, who have no answer for the athleticism of Simmons and Embiid. And if they try to trap those two, Belinelli is shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc while Saric shoots 42 percent. And JJ Redick is lurking out on the perimeter as well.
Whether or not the 76ers' dominance thus far will translate to the next two possible series remains to be seen. They still need to beat Miami one more time. If the Sixers close out the series on Tuesday, they'll wait for the winner of the Bucks-Celtics series. If they win that, it could be anyone, as the Cavaliers and Pacers, Raptors and Wizards duke out their respective 2-2 series.
Of course, even if they survive the East, the 76ers still have a powerhouse Western Conference team waiting in the wings. It's a daunting road, but the 76ers have as much talent as any team in this postseason. They could well become the first team in the East to advance. But it all starts with Game 5 on Tuesday.