We left Joel Embiid with wet cheeks in Toronto in 2019, the Cameroonian had every reason to cry tonight. Far too alone to exist in this series, the Process again undergoes the law of the Celtics. A violent but logical and perhaps necessary sweep which heralds change in Pennsylvania. For Boston, it just means a little more rest at the hotel pool at Disney World while waiting for the next round.
Without Ben Simmons, the mission promised to be tough against a collective and ambitious team that is not allergic to away games. In a bubble in Florida, it’s still a clear advantage and we saw it again this evening. We won’t blame those who cheated on the NBA to tune into the Champions League final as Jimmy Butler, Game 4 between the Sixers and the Celtics was similar to the previous ones: Joel Embiid frustrated who sulks as soon as he returns to the bench and especially without solutions to embarrass Boston over 48 minutes. After a serious start, Tobias Harris’s impressive injury in the third quarter hastened an inevitable end. Fallen head first following an involuntary crouch from Jayson Tatum, Tobi remained for long minutes on the ground with his skull bleeding. The last symbol of a season where nothing was right for the Sixers. And even if the soldier in the blindfold will return to the floor at the very end of the meeting, the damage was already done. The Celtics took advantage of his absence to place a 16-2 with JT in the role of the executioner who signed the game over with a three far just before the period siren. Still the author of a boss performance with 28 points and 15 rebounds, he offers himself a second sweep after that of the Pacers in the first round of the 2019 Playoffs and he will have to be closely monitored during the rest of the summer.
The other strongman of the evening had never known such joy. Far from being impressed by the stakes, Kemba Walker wanted to celebrate his first qualification in the Conference semifinals with the manner (32 points to 12/13 on free throws). He had won three Playoffs games in eight years at Charlotte? He’s already won four in one week with the Celtics. The regular season third held their place without leaving too much energy in the battle. If the Raptors win tonight, we will already know the first poster of the second round. For the Sixers who must already be on the return plane to free up space at Mickey’s, the time to take stock will come very quickly. We will obviously have time to talk about it again, but Brett Brown surely lived his last game on the Philadelphia bench after seven years of loyal service. Elton Brand will also have to make a choice on the future of his Simmons-Embiid duo, so united in front of the media but fragile and unable to carry the team in the important moments of the season. In general, a sweep doesn’t leave a group unscathed and there should be some change in the organization over the next few months.
We did not expect a miracle from the Sixers who still manage the feat of ending their season in a … disappointing way. At least they were fitting from start to finish, as soon as they stepped outside the borders of the City of Brotherly Love, you couldn’t count on them anymore.
–
