The Philadelphia 76ers had a solid run in this year's playoffs—they performed better than most pundits expected. They put up a strong fight against the Boston Celtics, but the Celtics proved themselves to be the better team when the moment mattered most. Boston advanced after a 114-112 win in Game 5 Wednesday.
After the game, Sixers center Joel Embiid was frustrated. He put up good numbers—27 points, 12 rebounds—but it was a tough series for both him and Ben Simmons. Embiid is one of the most sociable players in the league, and he loves talking smack.
After Game 5, however, he left the court without shaking the Celtics players' hands. One reporter observed this frustrated the Celtics, who challenged Embiid to "man up."
In the locker room after the game, several Celtics sounded annoyed by Embiid walking off the floor without paying respect, especially after he talked so much trash. “At least man up,” one player said.https://t.co/pPMIfE81kT
Embiid, for what it's worth, praised the Celtics in his post-game press conference.
Joel Embiid on Celtics: They’re tough. I give them a lot of credit. They made us work for everything. Coming here from Miami was completely different. I thought Miami was more physical, but the talent wasn’t there like Boston has. They’ve got a lot of great young talent.
Boston advanced to take on LeBron James and the Cavs. The Eastern Conference Finals will commence at 3:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, with the West Finals getting underway Monday at 9 p.m. EST.
