Joel Embiid was watching the Boston Celtics take a 3-0 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks and decided to share his thoughts, asking his fans if he thinks the Milwaukee Bucks handed the Celtics this championship win.
“Did the Bucks give them the championship?”
Did the bucks give them the championship?
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) June 13, 2024
Embiid asking a question like this by specifically isolating the Bucks and not his Philadelphia 76ers indicates he likely isn’t talking about how the team matched up on the court. There have been a series of moves that made the Bucks take a step back while the Celtics took a step forward this season.
The first one is trading Jrue Holiday away. The Bucks moved on from Jrue to acquire Damian Lillard, with the Trail Blazers moving Holiday to the Celtics shortly afterward to further bolster their team. Given how important Holiday has been for the Celtics all season, this move could be considered one of the primary reasons why the Celtics have overcome the championship hump.
The second one is Doc Rivers. Embiid was coached by Rivers for three seasons, with all three years ending with a second-round exit. The Bucks inexplicably fired their head coach Adrian Griffin Jr. when they were the No. 2 seed and 17 games above .500. They went under .500 after hiring Rivers, slowly eliminating themselves from conventions.
Embiid is not going to be happy watching the 76ers’ biggest rivals lift the Larry O’Brien trophy this season, so he will be working tirelessly this summer to come back and end the Celtics’ hope of a repeat.
The Celtics Don’t Have Any Real Rivals Anymore
The Celtics have put themselves in a different stratosphere compared to the other teams in the East. It was evident on the court when the Celtics got the best record in the Conference by over 14 games, with the same happening through the Playoffs as the Celtics romped through the East. They’re demolishing a shock contender in the Finals based on the superior quality of their roster, with no team looking to be a match for them as presently constructed.
Embiid likely believes the Bucks would have been the ones to challenge the Celtics this season, but they shot themselves in the foot during the regular season before getting massively injured in their first-round exit to a lower-seeded Pacers squad. Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to come back with a vengeance next season, especially because it doesn’t look like the Bucks have the assets to improve this team.
The 76ers have big plans in free agency this season, hoping to snag any of the available superstar players to join Embiid and Maxey on the 76ers. While players like Paul George are on the top of the list, the team is also exploring trades for Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram, and a shock recruitment of LeBron James as well. If any of these moves stick, the Celtics may have a contender to match their salt.
This championship run has proven that team-building is more crucial now than ever before, as the smaller talent gap in the league means superstars can’t unilaterally just take over games like we had been accustomed to seeing.
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