Things are looking bleak for the Philadelphia 76ers right now.
The team is currently down two games against the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs.
They are just two losses away from being pushed out of the postseason, even though they had a promising season with many fans predicting they’d go all the way this year.
Competition would be fierce no matter what but things are even harder right now because their star player, Joel Embiid, is sitting out with an injury.
And there isn’t any promise that he’ll be back soon.
Doc Rivers says "I really don't know" if Joel Embiid will be ready for Game 3. Said he FaceTimed with him today. He believes he hasn't cleared any of the steps necessary to return.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 5, 2022
Head coach Doc Rivers said “I really don’t know” about Embiid returning for Game 3 of the series.
Rivers revealed that he FaceTimed with the iconic big man but also added that he doesn’t think Embiid has cleared any of the necessary steps in order to return.
That’s bad news for fans of Philly because they are needing Embiid badly.
76ers Stress
Without Embiid, the 76ers are having all sorts of problems.
Most of the team isn’t stepping up on either offense or defense.
Tyrese Maxey, on the other hand, has.
He scored 34 points in Wednesday night’s loss against the Heat.
James Harden scored just 20 points, his latest in a string of low-scoring games.
And while Tobias Harris also put up 21, no one else on the squad was even in the double-digits.
There is just no way this team can win if it keeps playing like that.
If Embiid really does sit out in Game 3, something needs to be done, or else this series is nearly finished.
Harden and others on the team will need to take things to a brand new level.
They need to be desperate for a win, even if Embiid is back.
