Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics could not complete the sweep against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4, as they fell by a large margin: 122-84 after four quarters.
Before the matchup, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid voiced a somewhat confusing message that may leave you thinking more than you have to. He says he "can't stand" Boston but has "great fans."
"I can't stand them, I hate Boston," Embiid said June 14 on ESPN's NBA Countdown (h/t Awful Announcing.) "Great city, great fans. They've got some great players."
It's more than likely that a ton of other NBA stars feel the same way about Boston, so we'll give Embiid the benefit of the doubt in this situation. The 76ers franchise player only mustered one win out of four games against the Cs throughout the regular season.
If it wasn't for the Knicks defeating them earlier this postseason, then it could've resulted in a Boston-Philadelphia pairing in the Eastern Conference Finals. Who knows?
Nonetheless, it was nice to see Embiid doing well, especially after the Bell's palsy experience he went through, leaving half of his face numb and unable to be moved.
Joel Embiid was gesturing at potential offseason target, Paul George, during ESPN's NBA Countdown
It may not have been the most obvious gesture, but Embiid commented about what the future may look like while eyeing down Clippers star Paul George in the process.
"Hopefully, this offseason, we find a way to get better and add some pieces," Embiid said, gesturing at impending free agent Paul George, who joined him on the panel (h/t Bleacher Report).
If the 76ers can add George to the mix for next season, then that can shake things up tremendously in the Eastern Conference. However, the Boston Celtics will still have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for some time, so it'll be hard to top them — but they can always try.
Embiid has not been to an NBA Finals yet but has been so close many, many times. He must have the right pieces to go the distance.
Next time around, whenever the 76ers and the Celtics compete again the guys in green may be the defending national champions.