Joel Embiid Wants More Help to Win After 76ers’ Humiliating NBA Playoff Exit

• Joel Embiid has challenged his teammates to improve after the 76ers' painful playoff exit
• Philadelphia were hammered 112-88 to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 in the second round
• Embiid and James Harden were both poor in the game, scoring only a combined 24 points

The Philadelphia 76ers' season ended in a similar fashion; a humiliating second-round defeat.

Their two stars, James Harden and newly crowned MVP, Joel Embiid failed to turn up as the Boston Celtics destroyed them 112-88 in Game 7 to send them home.

Embiid said he wants more help for the team to take another step forward.

The second-round exit has basically been their story since they reached the 2001 NBA Finals. They have failed to get over the hump in the last few seasons, especially in the 'Trust the Process' era.

James Harden delighted with epic 45-point display in Game 1 vs. Celtics

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The duo of Harden and Embiid fell flat, combining for just 24 points on 8-for-29 shooting in what was a collapse of epic proportions. The reigning MVP scored just 15 points on 5-of-18 shooting, while the 2018 MVP managed just nine points on 3-of-11 from the floor.

After struggling in Game 6, Jayson Tatum scored an NBA record 51 points in Game 7 for the Celtics.

Embiid reacts to playoff exit

It was the 76ers third straight defeat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cameroonian center discussed running it back with Harden, who has a player option for next season and could potentially opt out to become an unrestricted free agent. 

"We haven't won anything and I think we've got the chance to win," Embiid said. "Obviously, going to seven games and having a chance to close it out at home, which we didn't do, I still believe we got the chance to win. We got what it takes to win."

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Embiid was misquoted after the team but in his full postgame interview, he said he wants everyone to improve next season.

"It's going to take more than us. We all gotta look at ourselves. I gotta be better and I will be better. You can’t win alone. I can’t win alone. Me and James [Harden], we just can’t win alone. That’s why basketball is played five-on-five. We just need everybody to try to keep finding ways to get better and we’ll be fine," he said, via Sporting News.

Embiid made his sixth consecutive All-Star Game in addition to the MVP nod and averaged a career-high 33.1 points in 2022-2, giving 76ers fans hope that they could finally get over the hump. That wasn't to be after they failed to close the series in Game 6.

Harden has been with the team since 2022. In his team's four defeats against the Celtics, he shot just 12-for-55, including 3-for-24 from 3-point range, while he went 37-for-61 in the team's three wins, per ESPN.

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The Sixers have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, per USA Today.

Reactions to Tatum's playoff performance

Sports Brief earlier reported on how NBA Twitter reacted to Tatum's 51-pointer in Game 7.

Several NBA players and personalities lauded the 25-year-old performances on his display.

Other fans called it the greatest Mother’s Day of all-time after Boston won Game 7 on Sunday.