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Tim BontempsESPN
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said his dominant performance in the 131-123 victory over Utah Jazz on Wednesday night was driven by playing against Rudy Gobert.
Embiid, who scored 40 points – including a 3-point draw 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 did not it should have been the third All-NBA team last season on top of it. He has also said several times that he wants to win the Defensive Player of the Year – an award that Gobert is the favorite to win this season – and objected to members of the local media, saying he was “afraid” to play against the Jazz boss afterwards of losing the Philadelphia stadium. loss in Utah last month with a back injury.
“As we saw tonight, it seems that I was very, very afraid of him,” said Embiid, his voice full of sarcasm. “So, yes, keep talking.
“But facing him, one of my goals is also to be the Defensive Player of the Year. So, you know, when you go against this type of guy, he is a great player, and you know, he does a lot for his team that it doesn’t appear on the statistics sheet … but when you go against those guys, you know, it brings something else to my game.
“I want to dominate. On the offensive side, but mainly on the defensive side, because that is the goal I set myself at the beginning of the year … these are the confrontations you want to go around and just dominate and prove to everyone that, as a team, we have a great team and, individually, you should be up there when it comes to those ratings and stuff. “
Embiid was the difference in the two ends for Philadelphia. While Jazz overcame Sixers 63-24 on the 3-point line, Embiid continued his parade throughout the season to the foul line – he himself took 13, while Jazz took 19 as a team, one of several things that led him for Jazz star Donovan Mitchell being sent off and several Utah players criticizing officials after the game. Embiid was also everywhere defensively, repeatedly breaking lobs for Gobert on the edge and, in one move, stopping Mitchell’s drive just to immediately jump back and block an attempt to bury Gobert.
But for Embiid, the lack of respect he got from voting for the award last season, after the Sixers left the playoffs on a sweep in the first round for the Boston Celtics, was a source of motivation he talked about publicly going back to pre -season.
He specifically, however, pointed to Gobert as a source of frustration at being selected as the All-NBA pivot of the third team in front of him.
“I agree that Anthony Davis had a better season than mine,” Embiid told MacMullan in December. “[Nikola] Jokic? This is debatable. But Rudy Gobert? No offense, but he [averaged] 15 [points] and 13 [rebounds] and I was 23 and 12, and that’s a big difference. I think my numbers were better. But people didn’t want to vote for me because our team didn’t do well.
“Okay, because I’m going to use it to motivate myself, so there is no chance that anyone will make that mistake again.”
When asked after Wednesday’s game if that contempt played a role in his performance, he did not try to disguise it.
“This is very fair,” said Embiid. “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 stuff. That’s the first thing. I want to win. That’s everything that interests me.
“The past is past. It is unfortunate how things happened last year, when I was not there … it plays an important role in my mindset this year, just wanting to destroy everything in my path. Many great players all They are really good at what they do. But wherever I am needed to do the job, defensively and offensively, that’s what I have to do. “
Embiid, who will start Sunday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, is having what is easily the best season of his career, averaging 30.2 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He is one of the top contenders for the MVP award, as Philadelphia enters the All-Star Break with a half game advantage over the Brooklyn Nets for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
But, after several games recently, Embiid has repeatedly said that he is more interested in winning the Defensive Player of the Year than MVP – although, to be fair, he will not refuse that honor if 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 award – speaking before the game, Sixers coach Doc Rivers said he believed Simmons should be favored, ahead of Gobert, therefore – Embiid said he is focused on winning the honor because he has been aiming for it since he entered the NBA.
“When I joined the league, I never thought it would be so good offensively,” said Embiid. “I always focused on the defensive side and that was always my goal to win. It would be nice to do that, but as I said, that has been my focus coming into the league, and obviously the goal and the offensive side has taken over.
“I keep going back to the same thing – you can’t be in these conversations without winning. Now, we are winning, we are the first in the East, we won the best team in the league. I have a group of great teammates who are doing a great job . You see [Sixers teammate Tobias Harris], that’s why I’m preaching for him to be an All Star, because you look at nights like this, he dominated overtime. And you know, as a team, we just play well together, move the ball and defend well “.