In the hours leading up to Sunday’s Game 4 tip-off, the looming return of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid dominated all discourse. Boston Celtics fans weren’t sure how to react to the news once Embiid was announced to be officially available around 6:30 p.m. EDT.
Should they be concerned? Was the 2023 MVP going to shift momentum in this series?
Nope.
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— Sam LaFrance (@SamLaFranceNBA) April 27, 2026
If anything, Embiid’s presence squashed the progress Philly had made in Games 2 and 3 following their 32-point Game 1 loss at TD Garden. Their energetic fast-paced play petered out, and their physical, gnat-like defense became so bogged down that they had to resort to zone in the second half of Game 4.
It wasn’t always bad, though.
The big man scored the Sixers’ first eight points of the evening, sinking a pair of shots at the rim and converting all four of his attempts from the charity stripe. As well as he got into his typical offensive rhythm, he just as quickly disrupted that of his teammates. It took Tyrese Maxey almost nine minutes to get his first shot attempt of the game up.
Not to mention that Embiid’s lumbering pace forced the 76ers to rely heavily on halfcourt offense -- something the Celtics have defended well all season long. The best way to keep up with the Cs is to get out in transition and run on them. Embiid prevented Philly from doing so and it showed.
They scored just 38 points in the first half, which wasn’t enough to keep up with the offensive avalanche from Payton Pritchard. Even after riding a seven-minute stretch where they missed just twice to end the third quarter, the Sixers saw their halftime deficit grow from 18 to 21 heading into the fourth.
Embiid's return was always going to be a good thing for the Celtics
Again, the slow-footed Embiid didn’t just hurt the 76ers’ offense, but he disrupted the defensive chemistry that they’d show in the prior two games. They weren’t able to make Boston uncomfortable and conceded a plethora of open looks -- both off the dribble and off the catch -- throughout the night.
His negative, borderline “he with us” impact shouldn’t come as a surprise though. Celtics fans had no reason to be moved when his availability was confirmed because he hasn’t been available all season. He missed 44 total games with various ailments, as the Sixers played well enough to earn a playoff berth.
Nevermind the fact that he had an appendectomy just over two weeks ago.
Did anyone really think he was going to come back and have the motor to impact winning over the course of 48 minutes?
Even the crowd pop he created with his early outburst dissipated rather quickly.
The former No. 3 overall pick finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, but shot just 9-21 from the field and carried the second-lowest plus-minus on the time at -25.
Sunday's loss brings his career playoff record to 3-13 against the Celtics.
Hopefully Philadelphia fans will be rid of watching Embiid for quite some time after Tuesday’s potential series-clinching Game 5 in Boston.
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