Uh-Oh, Joel Embiid's knee could keep him out of the game 1

Joel Embiid, visibly frustrated, said that he "had no idea" if he would play tomorrow in the first game of the Sixers' first-round series against the Nets, due to the fact that he had no idea that he would play tomorrow. left knee pain. Looks bad:

"It's frustrating, it's the second time, last year it came in. Extremely frustrating, I'll tell you," the Sixers' centerpiece told reporters, "Embiid s & # 39; It was last presented on April 6 to defeat the Bulls.This left knee continued throughout the season, especially during a stint after the break from the All-Star game where he played eight games in a row.

After trading with Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler this season, Philly enters the playoffs with one of the slimmest benches in the league, especially in the center. It will be difficult to reconcile playing time to the 5 in the absence of Embiid. Boban Marjanovic is a modern wonder, but he can not give you long minutes of playoff play, nor trust him to help contain, for example, Spencer Dinwiddie in a pick-and-roll. The same goes for Amir Johnson, who has recorded just 20 minutes twice this season. The Sixers may well end up relying heavily on rookie Jonah Bolden and – God help them – Mike Scott fill in the gaps.

The Nets, an adorable group of nuts that had absolutely no defense for Joel Embiid, can let out a sigh of collective relief. Between Dinwiddie and D'Angelo Russell, their leadership ability was already a useful weapon in a duel against the Sixers, who struggled to keep this position. Now that the most talented player in the series questions his health, the Nets could see a real chance to sneak into the second round.