Could the upcoming NBA Playoffs be Joel Embiid’s Philadelphia sports moment?

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The past year of Philadelphia sports has been filled with memorable moments. 

Phillies superstar Bryce Harper had the swing of his life that sent the Phillies to the World Series. 

Jalen Hurts emerged as the Eagles’ franchise quarterback, played nearly perfectly in Super Bowl LVII and came so, so close to defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Regardless of the losses suffered in the World Series by the Phillies or Super Bowl by the Eagles, fans will cherish those runs forever. They don’t come around very often. 

Now, months later, the hometown basketball team is entering the spotlight. 

The Sixers will open the first round of the NBA Playoffs vs. the Brooklyn Nets Saturday in the most important postseason of Joel Embiid’s career. 

In a year where Harper and Hurts provided fans with unforgettable plays on the way to their respective championships, could this upcoming NBA playoffs be Embiid’s Philadelphia sports moment on the way to the Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals? 

This isn’t to say Embiid hasn’t been effective in the playoffs. During his tenure in Philadelphia, he’s by far been the team’s best player and they’ve historically crumbled into pieces when he leaves the court. 

If there’s going to be any year where Embiid, the likely NBA MVP, takes the next step in the playoffs, it’s this season. 

Embiid, who won the scoring title for the second straight season by averaging 33.1 points, is coming off the most efficient and best regular season of his career by mastering the mid-range jumper.  

There are times when Embiid looks like Kobe Bryant in his fadeaway game-winner vs. the Portland Trail Blazers in March, or when he resembles Dirk Nowitzki’s one-legged fadeaway jumper. Or when he looks like a mix of Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal with his footwork and power on the block. 

We’ve seen Embiid have incredible playoff moments in a Sixers uniform. 

The game-winner vs. the Toronto Raptors in overtime of Game 3 last year and the “airplane” celebration also against the Raptors when he put up 33-10 in a massive Sixers win in 2019 come to mind.

It’s also worth noting he’s played plenty of those playoff games dealing with or coming off injuries.  

Embiid has been a great player for the Sixers in the playoffs, yet it hasn’t translated into deep postseason runs. 

The Sixers haven’t been able to get past the second round of the playoffs in the Embiid era. They blew it against the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 after going up 2-1 in the series. They also haven’t made it to the Eastern Conference Finals since Allen Iverson won MVP and led the team to The Finals in 2001. 

Iverson played like a man possessed during that run. He averaged 32.9 points during the 2001 playoffs, including six games where scored more than 40 points. 

Like Iverson, Harper went into a different mode during Red October for the Phillies. Hurts played like an MVP all year, bounced back from his shoulder injury and led the Birds to the Super Bowl.

Embiid has to follow suit. Just like he has all season, he needs to play like the MVP. 

If not, major changes could be coming to the Sixers following the playoffs.