Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat fell to the Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid last night in the NBA play-in tournament. Butler suffered a painful-looking injury at the end of the first quarter but miraculously played the rest of the game. He was obviously hampered by the injury and unable to affect the game. Despite his injury, the Heat almost beat the Sixers, losing 105 – 104 in a close game. The Sixers secured a playoff spot and will face the New York Knicks. The Miami Heat will face the Chicago Bulls on Friday for the final playoff spot in the east.
The Heat struggle offensively, and scoring the basketball will only be harder without Butler. The Heat had success early against Embiid, and the Sixers played fantastic defense. Particularly, they deployed a zone that confused and caused some bad turnovers from Embiid, who is still getting up to speed after being injured. It is still possible for the Heat to make the playoffs. it will be tough against the Chicago Bulls, who beat the Atlanta Hawks 131-116.
Jimmy Butler Is Out Indefinitely After an MCL Injury
The expectation is Miami’s Jimmy Butler will be out multiple weeks, sources said. Butler remarkably played the final three quarters vs. 76ers last night with what is now feared to be an MCL injury. https://t.co/dEDMAuuXuN
Jimmy Butler is feared to have sustained an MCL injury last night. Butler was writhing in pain at the end of the first quarter. It looked like he would definitely have to leave the game, but he played the rest of the game. It’s very on-brand for Butler, whose whole persona is that he is built differently and played through such an injury. But that toughness may have made the injury worse, and now he will not only miss the final play-in game on Friday but will be out for multiple weeks.
The Heat have a tough task ahead of them. They will play the Bulls on Friday, who defeated the Hawks last night. The Bulls were led by an incredible performance from Coby White. White finished the game with 42 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Heat struggle to put points on the board, and they are going to face a team that just scored 131 points. Jimmy Butler will be sidelined indefinitely. The Heat might beat the Bulls and make the playoffs. But Butler will likely not be available for the first-round matchup against the Celtics.
Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have officially made the NBA playoffs. The Sixers faced off against the Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat in a close game. Philly won the game in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 13-point deficit and ultimately winning 105-104. Embiid and the Sixers will face the no. 2 seed New York Knocks, led by Jalen Brunson, in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Embiid and the Sixers struggled early in what was an ugly game of basketball. The Heat dug in defensively and deployed a zone defense that caused headaches for Embiid and his teammates. Nevertheless, the Sixers figured out Miami’s scheme. They erased the deficit and closed out the game with a surprising offensive explosion from Nic Batum. The Knicks are a similarly gritty team with a lot more offensive power. With Embiid still trying to shake off the rust after a prolonged absence due to injury, it’s going to be a tough series.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is guarded by Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the third quarter during the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The most important stretch of the game saw Nic Batum start to go off. All the attention Joel Embiid receives when he has the ball leaves his teammate with some good looks; once he starts to find Batum, the game changes, and Philly is able to fend off a gritty Miami Heat team. Batum went 5-7 from three, and the Sixers wouldn’t have won the game without his offensive explosion. Jimmy Butler was hampered by an injury he sustained in the first half. Although he played through it, he wasn’t as effective down the stretch. The Heat will play the Bulls tomorrow to decide the 8th seed in the East.
The Sixers will try to get Joel Embiid back to peak performance. He’s the most dominant player in the East when he is at his best. The Knicks will zero in on Embiid much like the Heat did, leaving the rest of the Sixers to step up. Tyrese Maxey will have to perform like the all-star he is, and the rest of the supporting cast need to fill in the gaps. It will be a much closer series than the seeding suggests. The Sixers face off against the Knicks on Saturday.
Avengers assemble! 2024 Team USA will look to dominate Olympic basketball, headlined by LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
Joining that Hall of Fame and superstar trio representing America will be Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo, Tyrese Haliburton, and Kawhi Leonard, the latest addition.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Steve Kerr will coach Team USA. Training camp and exhibitions for the Olympics will begin in July, and the games will take place in Paris from July 26 to Aug. 11.
Joel Embiid has announced his intention to return to the Sixers before the end of the regular season. “That’s the plan. Obviously everything has to go right, as far as getting healthy and being as close as I’m supposed to be. But yeah, that’s the plan,” Embiid told reporters in his first media appearance in a month. The reigning MVP had been far and away the MVP frontrunner until he was sidelined with a leg injury.
Furthermore, Embiid was not focused on the lost accolades but the fact that she went down he was red-hot. “That’s why it was extremely disappointing. Because I was on a roll and I felt like I wasn’t even close to where I wanted to be, body-wise and basketball-wise, because I wasn’t at my best, so I felt like there was still another level that I could go to. It was very disappointing. But I was having fun, playing, getting a lot of wins, dominating,” Embiid lamented.
Joel Embiid Injury Has LeBron James Fuming About The Rest Rule And Media Accountability
Joel Embiid on returning this season: “That’s the plan.”
Why push to come back?
“The same reason why I was pushing last couple games. I just love playing basketball. I only have about 20 years to do this. Any chance I get I want to be on the floor.” pic.twitter.com/FQKvYXSuLO
LeBron lashed out at media members advocating for the NBA rest rule after it was revealed that Joel Embiid had suffered a torn meniscus. “Where are all the media outlets, tv media personalities, hot takes that talked so much about Joel Embiid about missing those games when he knew what he was dealing with. Now he’s out with an injury because of it. Not 1 person has went back on tv or their dumbass podcast and apologized to that MAN!! No accountability ,” LeBron wrote in a series of posts on X.
Furthermore, external eyes will be on Embiid for the summer. Embiid formally announced that he will be fighting for a place on the American Olympic basketball team. Embiid has been a major target of Team USA in the run-up to the Paris Games. However, the reigning NBA MVP had taken his time choosing between his dual nationalities of American and French. However, Embiid opted for Team USA after a meeting with executive director Grant Hill in Colorado.
LeBron has lashed out at media members advocating for the NBA rest rule after it was revealed that Joel Embiid had suffered a torn meniscus. “Where are all the media outlets, tv media personalities, hot takes that talked so much about Joel Embiid about missing those games when he knew what he was dealing with. Now he’s out with an injury because of it. Not 1 person has went back on tv or their dumbass podcast and apologized to that MAN!! No accountability ,” LeBron wrote in a series of posts on X.
Embiid, the MVP frontrunner, is out indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Given the razor-thin margin he was already working with the NBA rest rule, this will likely end the Sixer’s chance to repeat as MVP. Furthermore, LeBron’s comments come just a day after Stephen A. Smith essentially told players to suck it up when it comes to the Rest Rule.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of news about LeBron to end the week. The biggest story came from his agent on Friday, with Rich Paul putting any trade rumors to bed. “LeBron won’t be traded, and we aren’t asking to be,” Paul said in response to growing speculation that LeBron might be leaving the Lakers midseason. Of course, LeBron hasn’t helped quiet the rumors. Following a loss to the Lakers earlier this week, LeBron posted an hourglass emoji to social media.
However, Paul’s comments about his biggest client haven’t stopped people from making their trade pitches regardless. Stephen A. Smith has caused a stir after using a segment on First Take to pitch a deadline trade between his Knicks and the Lakers to acquire LeBron James. Smith’s pitch is more based on the vibes of “LeBron at MSG” rather than how LeBron would actually make the Knicks a better team. Smith’s Knicks are currently in the East and are riding a six-game winstreak. However, they recently lost the team’s second scorer, Julius Randle, until at least after the All-Star Game.
After seeing Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić sit out the Dallas Mavericks’ 2022/23 regular-season finale with the playoffs still attainable for the team, the NBA decided to do something about load management. Baked into the new CBA ratified during the offseason was a revision to the player participation policy. These clauses were designed to keep the league’s best players on the court for as much of the season as possible. These rules revolved around the use of “star players” (defined as an All-Star or All-NBAer from the past three seasons).
Teams can only rest one “star player” per game.
Teams cannot rest any “star player” for nationally televised games or in-season tournament games.
Players must play at least 20 minutes in at least 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards such as MVP and All-NBA teams.
However, the NBA’s plan to create a better TV product has created a worse basketball product. The players are unhappy, the fans are unhappy. And when the biggest players in the league, such as presumptive MVP Joel Embiid and rising star Tyrese Haliburton, are openly criticizing league policies, it might be a sign to re-evaluate said policies.
If asked, most players will say they that don’t prioritize postseason awards over their long-term health and season-long contributions to their team. However, the league has now forced them into a situation where those awards, nice bonuses to a season well-played, are dependent on an arbitrary participation percentage. Joel Embiid is having one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. But if he will be ruled ineligible for the MVP award if he misses six more games this season. What meaning does the MVP award actually have if the league’s best player is ineligible because he played 64 games and not 65?
Furthermore, the rule can have major financial impacts for players. Tyrese Haliburton is having the best season of his young career. However, the Rest Rule means that the Pacers star could lose out on $40 million if he is ruled ineligible for All-NBA team selection. Earning an All-NBA selection would see him fulfill a rookie contract clause that would raise the ceiling of his max contract extension by the aforementioned $40 million. However, Haliburton has struggled with a spate of midseason injuries. As a result, Haliburton will need to play in 30 of the Pacers’ remaining 34 games to be eligible. Haliburton has been particularly vocal about the rule, calling it “stupid” and “something that the owners want”.
The end result is further disincentivizing players from pursuing postseason awards. If the eligibility criteria are this strict, why would any player play with the awards in mind over prioritizing their career longevity? It’s a sentiment that Embiid himself has already acknowledged. “The goal is to be ready for the playoffs. If I can’t meet the criteria of 65 games … as long as I’m ready to be dominant in that time in April, that’s all I care about,” Embiid told reporters in January.
Meanwhile, the rule ignores a crucial reality about professional sport – player rotation is vital to long-term success. The NBA season is 82 games long with multiple games for each team in a given week. And given the ebbs and floes of a typical season, every game is not made equal. Take Embiid’s Sixers – between February 23 and March 3, four of their five games are nationally televised. According to the NBA’s Rest Rule, that means that Embiid must played all of four of those games for at least 20 minutes. Howeer, he could be rested for the one non-televised game against Charlotte. Sounds reasonable right? But things immediately fall apart when a team has more than one “star player”. The Timberwolves only have two televised games over that same span but they have 4 “star players” as well as four games against playoff teams.
What this leads to is 82-game seasons becoming a war of attrition. The end of the season should be the most exciting time of the year. Games often decide divisional battles and playoff seedings. But if players are being forced to play as much as they can physically handle, fans get treated to season-ending slogfests between guys trying to fill league-mandated quotas while also trying to converse something for the playoffs. While not a 1:1 comparison – no one bats an eye at rotation in a sport like soccer. This is despite soccer teams playing vastily shorter seasons. Manchester City won three trophies across five competitions last season and still only played 61 games.
As a result of the Rest Rule, the NBA is attempting to turn every player into an ironman. Furthermore, this is done for no other reason than the owners wanting players to “earn” every cent of their contract.
Barring an U-turn from the league, the Rest Rule is likely here to stay. But that doesn’t mean it has to remain the same. A more lenient eligibility cap would go a long way to reduce the ironman mentality that many players are currently facing. A more drastic solution would be to expand the size of NBA rosters to reduce the level of attrition imposed on squads.
But do you think – are you a fan of the rest rule? Are you siding with the players and want it gone next season? Let us know in the comments.
Joel Embiid showed why he is the league MVP. In a dominant performance against the San Antonio Spurs, Embiid dropped 70 points, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers record of 68 points. The Sixers won 133-123.
“Obviously, Wilt accomplished … everything [in] the history of this league, and basketball in general,” Embiid said.
According to ESPN, Embiid added 18 rebounds and five assists. “I had it going. I mentioned a few times, a lot of teammates are extremely unselfish and they just kept giving me the ball, and I just finished it.”
Before the game, Embiid had the Internet laughing once he stood next to Victor Wembanyama for the first time. That height didn’t impact Embiid, but he added 33 points and seven rebounds.
Joel Embiid can miss no more than seven of the Sixers’ remaining 43 games in order to be eligible for MVP this season. Due to a spate of injuries, Embiid has played 29 of the Sixers’ 39 games this season. However, due to load management rules implemented in the offseason, Embiid needs to play in 65 games to be eligible for all major awards. This means that Embiid must play in at least 36 of the team’s remaining games to be eligible for the award he is currently the frontrunner for.
“The goal is to be ready for the playoffs. If I can’t meet the criteria of 65 games … as long as I’m ready to be dominant in that time in April, that’s all I care about,” Embii told reporters following the Sixers win over Houston on January 15. The 65-game rule was implemented as the NBA looked to curb the amount of big-game talent missing games due to “load management”. As part of continued efforts to tackle load management, the league recently released a report indicating that the practice did not actually lower the likelihood of long-term injuries.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 16: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Wells Fargo Center on January 16, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James remained the top vote-getters in the final round of publicly released fan voting for the NBA All-Star Game. Giannis led overall, the only player to have surpassed four million votes at the time of writing. However, LeBron wasn’t too far behind at 3.93 million. The next closest player to four million is Embiid, who sits at 3.72 million voters.
Voting closes this weekend and the All-Star starters will be announced on January 25. If trends stay as they are, LeBron, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, and Steph Curry would start in the West. Meanwhile, Giannis, Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Trae Young would start in the East. The All-Star Game itself takes place on February 18 in Indianapolis.
Joel Embiid disagrees with James Harden’s claim that the Sixers kept the veteran “on a leash”. “I don’t think so. I think he did a lot of great things for us. But in my opinion, we gave him the ball every single possession, because he’s really good. He’s an amazing player. Obviously, being that great of a passer, I think we gave him the ball … we’d give him the ball every single possession to just go out and, you know, do his thing. And from there he had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself. But I thought he did a pretty good job of getting us into an offense and just passing the ball, getting guys open. That’s the reason why he won the assist title last year,” Embiid said after the Sixers’ win against the Raptors.
Furthermore, Embiid’s comments come as a result of Harden’s fiery introductory press conference with the Clippers. Harden said the Sixers kept him “on a leash” and didn’t respect his knowledge of the game. “I think the game and I’m a creator on the court. So if I got a voice to where I can, ‘Hey, Coach, I see this. What you think about this?’ Somebody that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me. I’m not a system player. I am a system. You know what I mean?” Harden told reporters.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have expressed full confidence in Harden being their missing piece. “James Harden should have been an All-Star last year. But he’s a 10-time All-Star. He has an elite skill set, and all he cares about is one thing. He wants to win a championship for the LA Clippers. And he wants to be part of something bigger than himself. He’s had all the individual awards. He’s about doing something really special,” said the team’s President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank.
The Clippers gave up a lot to acquire Harden, sending a monster package of depth players and first-round picks to the Sixers. If he can learn the system in time, Harden is expected to debut for the team in a game against the Knicks at MSG this weekend. The Clippers are coming off an overtime loss to the Lakers. Harden was present on the bench but did not suit up. However, head coach Ty Lue did state after the game that he would have liked to have been able to use Harden. The Clippers continue to struggle with early-season injuries, hampering their now-depleted depth.
The NBA has fined Joel Embiid $35K for “repeatedly making an obscene gesture on the playing court”. The gesture in question was the “DX Crotch Chop”, something first seen in the WWE by the D-Generation X stable. Embiid broke out the move after scoring off a foul in the third quarter in the Sixers’ home opener against the Blazers. Earlier this year, in January, Embiid was fined $25K for making the same gesture in a similar situation against the Nets.
Despite being out $35K, Embiid has gotten an invaluable invitation out of the moment. After news of the fine broke, Triple H, one of the best down DX wrestlers, hit Embiid up on Twitter. Hey @JoelEmbiid – I know a place where you can do that all day, and everyone will love it. WrestleMania 40 is right there in Philly…,” the wrestler wrote. The milestone wrestling touches down in the City of Brotherly Love next April. Furthermore, it’s clear that H wants Embiid front and center.
The Sixers are 2-1, avenging an opening loss to the Bucks with big wins over the Raptors and Blazers. However. Embiid and the team are now working to figure out life after James Harden. The veteran was finally traded to the Clippers earlier this week. The move possibly marks the last big deal before the trade deadline rolls around. It remains to be seen whether removing Harden’s presence from the locker room will help or hinder the team moving forward. While the team also said goodbye to PJ Tucker, they now have a wealth of draft capital and some solid rotational pieces.
Within the Sixers camp, there appears to be an attempt to be business as usual. “I did [get a call] and I slept through it. But I did get up a couple hours later and came into the office,” head coach Nick Nurse said of learning about the trade. Meanwhile, the players weren’t surprised that Harden was finally moved. “I think our group has been prepared. I think we’ve done a good job of keeping the main thing the main thing, and I think that’s what’s gotten us all to a solid start. We have some really good guys that are focused, that are determined to go out there and play and show what we can do, and [a] coach that’s keeping our mind in the right place,” starter Tyrese Maxey said. Additionally, the Sixers host the Raptors in their next game.
about Joel Embiid about missing those games when he knew what he was dealing with. Now he’s out with an injury because of it. Not 1 person has went back on tv or their dumbass podcast and apologized to that MAN!! No accountability 
