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Tim BontempsESPN
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said his dominant performance in a 131-123 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night was sparked by playing against Rudy Gobert.
Embiid, who had 40 points – including the game-tying 3 pointer with 6.5 seconds to go with 19 rebounds, three assists, a steal and two blocks in 40 minutes – told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan in December that Gobert wouldn’t. must do. were the third-team All-NBA over him last season. He has also said repeatedly that he wants to win the defensive player of the year – an award that Gobert is favored this season – and has objected to local media saying he was “afraid” of playing the great Jazz man after missing Philadelphia. loss last month in Utah with a back injury.
“As we saw tonight, it seems I was terribly afraid of him,” Embiid said in a sarcasm dripping voice. “So, yes, keep talking.
“But taking him up is one of my goals to also be Defensive Player of the Year. So, you know, when you’re up against guys like that, he’s a great player, and you know, he does a lot for him. team that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet … but if you go up against those guys, you know, it brings something different to my game.
“I want to dominate. At the offensive end, but especially at the defensive end, because that’s the goal I set myself at the beginning of the year … those are the matchups you want to go out there and just dominate and prove to everyone that we have a great team as a team, and that you have to be individual when it comes to those rankings and all that. “
Embiid was the difference for Philadelphia on both sides. While the Jazz beat the Sixers 63-24 on the 3-point line, Embiid continued his parade of the season to the foul line – taking 13 himself, while the Jazz took 19 as a team, one of the many things that led to Jazz star Donovan Mitchell who is sent off and several Utah players who criticize the referees after the game. Embiid was defensive all over too, repeatedly breaking lobs to Gobert on the edge and, all at once, stopping a Mitchell drive to immediately jump back up and block a Gobert dunk attempt.
But for Embiid, the disrespect he received last season in voting on the awards after the Sixers exited the playoffs in a first round by the Boston Celtics is a source of motivation he has talked about publicly back. to go to the preseason.
However, he specifically mentioned Gobert as a source of frustration for being selected as the third-team All-NBA center for him.
“I agree that Anthony Davis had a better season than I did,” Embiid told MacMullan in December.[Nikola] Jokic? That can be discussed. But Rudy Gobert? No offense, but him [averaged] 15 [points] and 13 [rebounds] and I had my 23 and 12, which is quite a big difference. I think my grades were better. But people wouldn’t vote for me because our team wasn’t doing well.
“That’s okay because I’ll use it to motivate me so there’s no chance anyone can make that mistake again.”
When asked after Wednesday’s game whether that disapproval played a role in his performance, he tried not to hide it.
“That’s pretty fair,” Embiid said. “But what motivates me is to win the game. Without winning, you know, you’re not part of those conversations when it comes to Defensive Player of the Year and MVP and all that sort of thing. I want to win That’s all I care about.
“The past is the past. It’s a shame the way things happened last year when I wasn’t there … it plays a big part in my mentality this year, I just want to destroy everything in my path. I play a lot every night. “Great players. They are really good at what they do. But wherever I have to get the job done, defensive and offensive, that’s what I have to do.”
Embiid, who will start Sunday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, has an average of 30.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists, which is easily the best season of his career. He is one of the main contenders for the MVP award as Philadelphia enters the All-Star Break half a game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
But, after several games recently, Embiid has said repeatedly that he’s more interested in winning Defensive Player of the Year than MVP – although, to be fair, he won’t turn down that honor when it comes his way.
And while Embiid said several times on Wednesday that teammate Ben Simmons also deserves to be in the mix for the defensive prize – Sixers coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he believes Simmons is preferable, before Gobert, for it – Embiid said that he’s focused on winning the honor because that’s what he’s been aiming for since joining the NBA.
“When I got into the league I never thought I would be this good offensive,” said Embiid. “I’ve always focused on the defensive side, and that has always been my goal to win it. It would be nice to do it, but like I said, that has been my focus coming into the league, and of course the scoring and the attacking side has taken over.
“I keep coming back to the same thing – you can’t be in those conversations without winning. Right now we’re winning, we’re the first in the east, we’ve beaten the best team in the league. you see [Sixers teammate Tobias Harris]That’s why I preach he’s an All Star, because you look at nights like tonight, he dominated overtime. And you know, as a team we all just play well together, we move the ball and we defend well. “