Joel Embiid made it clear that there will be no Celtics dynasty.
And in his mind, there will be no such thing.
Embiid was a guest on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown” during Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Dallas, and the 76ers star was asked about the Celtics and whether the team, which led 3-0 in the series against the Mavericks as of Friday night, was building a dynasty.
He didn’t accept it at all.
“You have to understand the whole Eastern has been hurt pretty badly this year, myself included,” Embiid said after explaining how the collective bargaining agreement could also hurt Boston.
On its face, the question was a reasonable one, as the Celtics have reached the Eastern Conference finals three straight seasons and are in the NBA Finals this year and in 2022.
But for the 2023 NBA MVP, the Celtics’ run to the Finals this year was something of a fairytale.
As noted by ESPN, Embiid has struggled with injuries this year and only played in 39 regular season games.
He underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in February and missed about two months.
And despite returning for a first-round playoff game against the Knicks, Emid never quite reached his full potential.
During the series loss, it was revealed he was also being treated for a mild form of Bell’s palsy.
“They are [the Celtics] “I know I’m out there,” Embiid said about his limited playing time this year.
In addition to Embiid not being at his best in the playoffs, the Celtics faced the Heat in the first round without reliable player Jimmy Butler, who was also out with an injury.
In 2023, Butler proved he could wreak havoc on the court, leading the Celtics to a playoff defeat and being named Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
In the second round of the playoffs, the Celtics played two games against the Cavaliers without Donovan Mitchell.
The Pacers also were without star player Tyrese Haliburton for both games of the Eastern Conference Finals as the Celtics blitzed the series.
When asked if he was ready to join the Celtics and the Eastern Conference next year, Embiid had a simple answer.
“There’s a pretty good chance,” he said.
