The Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round in six games by the New York Knicks, following a 118-115 defeat in Game 6. That early elimination means Joel Embiid has once again failed to get to the Conference Finals in his career and he remains the only MVP to have never made it that far.
NBA MVPs who never made it to the Conference Finals: Joel Embiid
NBA MVPs who never made it to the NBA Finals: Steve Nash, Derrick Rose
NBA MVPs who never won a title: Charles Barkley, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Allen Iverson, Karl Malone
I have to say, it is a bit surprising how short this full list is. I would have expected a few more MVPs to have never won a title, but I suppose it speaks to how great a majority of those winners were, that they managed to win it all at some point. As for Embiid, let’s take a look at which stage his postseasons have ended over the years.
2018: Lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Celtics in five games
2019: Lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Raptors in seven games
2020: Lost in the First Round to the Celtics in four games
2021: Lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Hawks in seven games
2022: Lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Heat in six games
2023: Lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Celtics in seven games
2024: Lost in the First Round to the Knicks in six games
For me, the biggest missed opportunity has to be 2021. The 76ers were clearly better than the Atlanta Hawks but shot themselves in the foot to lose that series. They squandered a 26-point lead in Game 5 and then proceeded to lose Game 7 at home as well.
That loss to the Raptors in 2019 also sticks out, with Kawhi Leonard famously hitting that game-winner in Game 7 to break 76ers hearts. Apart from those two, the loss to the Celtics in 2023 was another where you felt they could have broken through. The 76ers were up 3-2 in that series but lost back-to-back games to get knocked out.
I am going to sound like a broken record here, but injuries have played a big part in Embiid never being able to take the 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals. Yes, he could have played better in certain spots, but the seven-time All-Star’s body just seems to break down in some way or the other when he gets to the postseason.
Even against the Knicks here, Embiid was dealing with some knee problems and Bell’s palsy. Despite that, the 30-year-old still averaged 33.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. Those are fantastic numbers, but Embiid struggled down the stretch in the series. It seemed like he was running on empty at the end of a lot of these games, which once again led to questions about his conditioning.
At this point, you do have to wonder whether an Embiid-led team has any chance of making a deep playoff run and winning a title. For me, that answer is no. As he gets older, things are not going to get better for him health-wise and I think you need another superstar next to him who will carry the load in the postseason.
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