Nikola Vucevic offers a solution Boston can use to solve Joel Embiid conundrum

Philadelphia -- In Game 4, Joel Embiid's return from an appendectomy was admirable, but he often felt like a liability. The Boston Celtics relentlessly targeted him in the pick-and-roll. That sentiment continued through the first half of Game 5 at TD Garden. The 76ers' star center entered the intermission with a -8 plus-minus rating. That was the worst mark of any participant. In the third quarter, the former NBA MVP ignited.

Embiid produced 10 points, matching Jayson Tatum for the most in the period. That's despite a brief exit after tweaking his knee while trying to contest a jumper from Jaylen Brown.

The hosts couldn't slow him down in the final frame, either. The seven-time All-Star put eight more points on the board. He finished with 33, the most in the contest. His eight assists were also a game-high. Embiid punished Boston for ineffective double teams and backside rotations that weren't executed at the level necessary to get stops.

His performance helped save the Sixers' season. It also showed how dangerous they can be when he's healthy enough to give them another top offensive option. That's not even getting into his impact on the other side of the ball, deterring players as they entered the paint.

Now, the Celtics must figure out how to slow down Embiid

As they aim to do so, one solution is to play at a faster pace. Pushing the tempo will make it that much more challenging for the five-time All-NBA center to operate at his preferred speed. It's also a way to test his stamina and conditioning.

As Payton Pritchard voiced after Boston's 113-97 loss to Philadelphia in Game 5, "Didn't make shots, and (the) pace slowed down, and then you let Embiid do what he did, and he's hard to cover one-on-one, and we played right into his type of game."

Providing more minutes for Pritchard, who erupted for a playoff career-high 32 points the last time he stepped foot in Xfinity Mobile Arena, is an effective way to ensure the Celtics continue to push the pace and make it more difficult for Embiid to get comfortable.

After Thursday's shootaround, Nikola Vucevic shared his perspective on what they can do to slow down the 76ers' star center.

"Try to do our job a little earlier," said Vucevic. "Do a little better job trying to make the catch a little tougher for him. Make him catch the ball a little further away from the basket, and then put up a little more resistance on that first, second dribble, when he's getting to the paint. It's hard if, on the first [or] second dribble, he gets into the paint. There's not a lot
of help that can come -- [it] happens so quick. So, that's something that we have to do better."

How Boston fares on that front will have a significant say in whether this first-round rivalry clash requires a Game 7.

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