Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers are still waiting for their breakthrough to the Conference Finals. Despite having a 3-2 series lead on the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals this year, the Sixers blew a chance to seal things in their building in Game 6 before getting run out of the gym in Boston in Game 7, sending Philadelphia to an offseason where there will be a number of questions.
First and foremost is the question of James Harden’s future, as he can hit unrestricted free agency if he does not pick up his player option, and for months, there have been rumors about a potential return to Houston. In the aftermath of the loss on Sunday, Embiid was asked about Harden, and made clear that he is still of the belief that the pair can accomplish great things with one another.
Full Joel Embiid quote when he was asked about James Harden below. pic.twitter.com/BBnXrP1fIZ
— Rich Hofmann (@rich_hofmann) May 14, 2023
That second part of the quote in which Embiid says he and Harden “can’t win alone” has gotten a lot of attention in the aftermath of the game, but Embiid’s main point was that everyone, himself included, needs to keep working to get better. Both Embiid and Harden struggled mightily in the Game 7 loss to Boston, as they combined to shoot 8-for-29 for 24 combined points.