Joel Embiid was already midway through the tunnel back to the locker room when the final buzzer sounded inside the Wells Fargo Center.
Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers had just witnessed the Boston Celtics close Thursday’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 14-3 run to even the series. They also watched their best chance yet at reaching the franchise’s first East finals since 2001 slip away.
Moments later, seated behind a microphone and wearing a T-shirt bearing his “The Process” nickname, Embiid moved on to the task waiting for Sunday in Boston.
“Game 7,” Embiid said. “That’s why you play, for these types of games.”
Sunday’s showdown inside Boston’s TD Garden was the third time over the past five seasons Embiid and the 76ers played in a Game 7 in the East semifinals. Instead of breaking through, it delivered a familiar feeling for the newly crowned MVP and his team: playoff heartbreak.
In 2019, it was Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce buzzer-beater that sunk the 76ers’ hopes. In 2021, it was Ben Simmons passing up an open dunk in the closing minutes against the Atlanta Hawks.
On Sunday, it was Embiid finishing 5-for-18 from the field, while Jayson Tatum scored 51, including him surpassing the half-century mark with a 3-pointer from the right wing over Embiid’s outstretched arm.
The result: a 112-88 demolition that sent Boston to the conference finals and sent Philadelphia into another offseason of intrigue, retooling around Embiid and waiting for the free agency decision of James Harden.
“I care about winning,” Embiid said after Game 7. “I want to win so bad and I know everybody around me also knows that and it’s tough losing. It sucks losing. I freaking hate losing.”
Here’s where the 76ers’ two superstars stand after another near miss for Philadelphia, and what’s next for the East juggernaut.
The Process continues — with mixed results
“The mantra here has been very clear, which is to compete…
